King of Pop Michael Jackson Died

Michael Jackson "murdered"

2010-01-11T06:50:00.000-08:00

The amendment to Michael Jackson’s death certificate declaring that his June 25 passing was due to “acute propofol intoxication” and “intravenous injection by another,” has been published online. EW has confirmed with the L.A. County coroner’s office that the document, which is part of the public record, is genuine. Jackson’s death was officially ruled a homicide last August.

On Friday afternoon, Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the L.A. district attorney’s office, told EW that recent reports claiming Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s physician, will be indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter are false. “Nothing has changed,” Robison said. “It’s a bogus report. We don’t have the case.”

A spokeswoman for Dr. Murray also sent EW the following statement: “We have refused to comment on stories involving unnamed sources and will continue to do so. However, we can confirm that we have not received notice of an impaneled grand jury and Dr. Murray has not been invited to testify. J. Michael Flanagan was added to Dr. Conrad Murray’s defense team this past week. His offices are in Glendale, California.” As we previously reported, Flanagan is the attorney who represented Britney Spears in a hit-and-run case. He told the AP he once also successfully defended a nurse who was acquitted in an L.A. trial after being accused of administering propofol to a patient who died.

Is Michael Jackson's This Is It a fitting final curtain?

2009-10-14T00:46:00.000-07:00

Is Michael Jackson's This Is It a fitting final curtain?

You don't want to damn something before you've actually experienced it, but I don't hold out a great deal of hope for the forthcoming Michael Jackson film and CD, This Is It.

There's undoubtedly a fascinating documentary to made about Jackson's abortive comeback, but there's something about the words "with the full support of The Estate Of Michael Jackson" in the credits that suggests – ironically – this isn't going to be it: it's going to be a painful hagiography, suggesting that Jackson shuffled off this mortal coil at the top of his game, despite some pretty convincing evidence to the contrary – including, it has to be said, the fact that he dropped dead from a heart attack while full of benzodiazepines.

Meanwhile, the publicity for the accompanying This Is It album doesn't exactly make you scream with anticipation. It "features the music that inspired the film, demo recordings and two versions of a previously unreleased song": ie. a load of stuff you already own, outtakes that weren't good enough to make the expanded editions of his albums from a few years back, and one new song. They neglect to say if the album also features the sound of the bottom of a barrel being scraped, but that seems fairly likely.

The big draw is the title track, currently streaming at Jackson's website, and, depending on which source you believe, an outtake from either Off the Wall or Dangerous. It's certainly an outtake from somewhere, because the online version sounds weirdly unfinished, as if someone's slapped an orchestral arrangement and backing vocals over a piano demo. If you had your fingers crossed that Jacko would be able to bow out with a Billie Jean, Scream or Smooth Criminal – one of those songs so unequivocally incredible that they temporarily made you forget everything else about him beyond his staggering talent – you're in for a disappointment: it's a ballad, not bad, but not one of his best, decorated with odd lyrics. "This is it, here I stand, I'm the light of the world," it opens, proving, if nothing else, that the tendency towards a Messiah complex that so incensed Jarvis at the Brits was very much intact when he wrote it.

That said, it could have been much worse. It's certainly less unctuous and wrong-headed than some of the stuff with which he padded out his final album, Invincible: tacked on later or not, the harmonies are impressively sumptuous and creamy, and there's a nice guitar part that winds its way around the vocal. It's never going to cause anyone to reassess Jackson's greatest songs, but it's clearly the best that they've got to offer. At least that's what I think. And you? Fitting final curtain for the King of Pop, or shoddily cynical gesture?

Michael Jackson's 'new' song has already been released ... by someone else

2009-10-14T00:33:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson's 'new' song has already been released ... by someone else

This Is It, the new Michael Jackson song recently released with much fanfare was originally destined for a Paul Anka album. The Jackson estate was caught in an embarrassing imbroglio yesterday, discovering their trumpeted Jackson original was written with – and for - the mid-20th-century crooner.

In an initial interview with the New York Times, 68-year-old Paul Anka explained that Jackson's label had never even contacted him about the song, which will be used over the closing credits in the upcoming Michael Jackson documentary. Anka and Jackson wrote the song together in 1983, calling it I Never Heard. Though it was intended for Anka's album Walk A Fine Line, Anka alleges that Jackson "took the tapes" without permission. Anka threatened to sue his former collaborator and while the recordings were returned, they were never released. Instead, I Never Heard – credited to Anka and Jackson – appeared on a 1991 album by R&B singer Safire.

"It's exactly the same song," Anka said yesterday. "They just changed the title."

In that first interview, Anka was unhappy indeed. "They have a major, major problem on their hands," he said. "They will be sued if they don't correct it." But before the end of the day yesterday, agents for Jackson's estate had apologised for their mistake. John McClain, one of Jackson's estate executors, called Anka directly to say that he had not known about Anka's role – or Safire's version – until Jackson fans began to discuss it online. The estate issued a statement acknowledging Anka as a composer and McClain promised that the former teen idol would receive his fair share of royalties.

Anka said that McClain told him, "We took Sony 50 songs, and this was the best of all of them. My thought was that this one sounded different. Now I know why."

McClain himself assembled the new This Is It track, building on a solo piano version Michael Jackson had recorded. McClain added strings and backup vocals by Jackson's brothers, but besides Jackson's changes to the lyrics, it remains very similar to Safire's I Never Heard.

Now that McClain has been in touch, Anka said he harbours no bitterness. "There's nothing but honourable people here ... They did the right thing. I don't think that anybody tried to do the wrong thing. It was an honest mistake."

Hair of the gods: Locks from Elvis and Michael Jackson to go on sale

2009-10-14T00:31:00.003-07:00

Hair of the gods: Locks from Elvis and Michael Jackson to go on sale

One clump is nice and thick and reasonably healthy looking; the second has most definitely been fire damaged.

But, bizarrely, locks that once belonged to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson – the late kings, respectively, of rock'n'roll and – are up for auction this weekend.

Presley's hair, said to date from the 1950s, when an army barber cropped his famous mane, is going under the hammer in Chicago. Meanwhile, 12 strands of Jackson's hair, the legacy of the freak accident in 1984 when his artfullyarranged coiffure caught fire during filming for a Pepsi commercial, are up for grabs in London.

The strands of Jackson's hair were gathered up by Ralph Cohen, the advert's executive producer, who took off his coat to put out the flames.

Together with Cohen's account of the incident and a signed colour photo, the strands are to be auctioned on Saturday.

Jackson's hair is hot property – a company called LifeGem announced plans in July to craft diamonds and jewellery from Jackson's seared locks.

In his account, Cohen recalls how the pyrotechnics set the singer's hair on fire: "And then, as Michael on his cue, was supposed to come down the stairs, the explosion went off and the first thing I noticed was – he was about halfway down the stairs – and I noticed flame emanating from his hair.

"And it took me a moment to register what exactly was happening because there was so much lights and so many different things go on [sic] it was a little confusing but I noticed his hair was on fire and I immediately rushed out from my position.

"I pulled my jacket off as I was running and proceeded to, when I reached him, put it over his head."

At the time onlookers were amazed at the calmness of the 25-year-old singer. Some thought the accident was part of the act. But he suffered serious burns and needed hospital treatment.

Richard Davie, of International Autograph Auctions, is selling the hair and other artefacts at the Radisson Edwardian hotel at Heathrow airport in London.

He said: "This memorabilia has doubled in price since Michael Jackson died. Jackson has huge global appeal with collectors all around the world.

"Of all the things he has done, including dangling his baby from the window and sleeping in an oxygen tent, the hair-burning incident stands out.

"There will be lots of people who will want to buy these items as souvenirs and those who would like them as investments."

Presley's hair is one of around 200 items of memorabilia being sold at Leslie Hindman auctioneers, in Chicago, on Sunday. The items were from the collection of Gary Pepper, and Elvis superfan.

The Jackson strands are expected to fetch around £1,000. But reports suggest the clump of Elvis's hair could go for as much as $100,000 (£63,000), partly because of the idea that DNA could one day be extracted from the samples to produce a clone of the king.

Court Papers Show Jackson Died of Propofol

2009-08-24T20:22:00.001-07:00

Court Papers Show Jackson Died of Propofol

LOS ANGELES — Lethal levels of a powerful anesthetic caused Michael Jackson’s death, according to preliminary coroner findings cited in Texas court documents unsealed Monday.

The documents, a pair of search warrants and affidavits filed by the police in July to search the Houston office and storage unit of Dr. Conrad Murray, Mr. Jackson’s private doctor, provide the most detailed evidence against Dr. Murray by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The police told judges in Texas and Nevada that they suspected Dr. Murray of manslaughter, according to documents filed there.

According to the warrants, Dr. Murray told investigators that he had administered an intravenous drip of 50 milligrams of propofol, an anesthetic, to Mr. Jackson nightly for six weeks before the singer’s death at his Holmby Hills home to help him sleep. Dr. Murray also administered lorazepam, an anti-anxiety drug that can be addictive, and midazolam, a muscle relaxant, to treat Mr. Jackson’s insomnia.

The chief coroner for Los Angeles County, Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, indicated that his preliminary assessment of the cause of death was due to a lethal dose of propofol, according to the court documents. They also describe how Dr. Murray administered propofol and other drugs, including Valium, on June 25, the day Mr. Jackson died.

“After approximately 10 minutes, Murray stated he left Jackson’s side to go to the restroom,” the documents show. “Murray stated he was out of the room for about two minutes maximum. Upon his return, Murray noticed that Jackson was no longer breathing.”

Dr. Murray said he tried to resuscitate Mr. Jackson and administered flumazenil, a drug to reverse the effects of the sedatives in his system, and then called Mr. Jackson’s personal assistant, Michael Amir Williams, for help. Mr. Williams called Mr. Jackson’s security detail while Dr. Murray asked the singer’s chef to send one of his sons upstairs to the bedroom as he continued cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Dr. Murray waited about 82 minutes before anyone called paramedics to the home, according to the court documents.

Investigators said Dr. Murray did not initially tell paramedics or doctors that he had given Mr. Jackson propofol.

Mr. Jackson was eventually taken to University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, where he died. Medical experts said Monday that the combination of drugs Mr. Jackson was given would have exacerbated the effect of the propofol.

Drugs like lorazepam and Valium have the effect of slowing a person’s breathing.

“If you are going to put on top of that some propofol, you are not only standing on thin ice, but starting to jump up and down on that ice,” said Dr. John F. Dombrowski, director of the Washington Pain Center. “If you don’t have someone who knows how to manage respiratory depression, you’re going to die.”

The documents indicate that Dr. Murray tried to revive Mr. Jackson with flumazenil, which reverses the effects of benzodiazepines like lorazepam. But “there’s no drug that reverses propofol per se,” said Dr. Robert R. Kirby, an anesthesiologist.

And waiting 82 minutes to call 911 was inexplicable to medical experts. “Lord, no; you’d call right away,” Dr. Kirby said.

Investigators said they found numerous bottles of medications prescribed by various doctors at Mr. Jackson’s bedside and throughout his living quarters.

Dr. Murray said that he was not the first doctor to administer propofol to Mr. Jackson, that he suspected Mr. Jackson was addicted to the drug and that he tried to wean him off of it, the documents state. Dr. Murray told the police that the singer referred to propofol as his “milk.” On the day he died, Mr. Jackson was unable to sleep and, after repeated demands, the doctor administered propofol in an IV drip.

Investigators also interviewed Cherilyn Lee, a nurse who described how Mr. Jackson asked her to obtain propofol for him.

“He stated he would pay her or another doctor whatever they wanted for it,” according to the affidavit. Ms. Lee told investigators that she refused.

On June 1, Mr. Jackson’s bodyguard called to tell her Mr. Jackson was ill.

“She heard Jackson in the background saying, ‘One side of my body is hot, and the other side is cold,’ ” according to the affidavits. Ms. Lee told investigators that she told the bodyguard he should go to the hospital.

Dr. Murray was a cardiologist in Houston, Las Vegas and Los Angeles for 20 years. Earlier this year, AEG, an event promoter and stadium operator, hired him to be Mr. Jackson’s personal physician during a planned series of 50 concerts in London, for a monthly salary of $150,000.

A special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, which investigates prescription fraud, said records showed that despite the discovery of bottles of propofol at Mr. Jackson’s home, Dr. Murray “never ordered, purchased nor received any propofol.”

Dr. Murray told investigators that Mr. Jackson obtained propofol from various sources, including two unidentified doctors in Germany and an anesthesiologist in Las Vegas.

Mr. Jackson’s relatives and associates have said the singer used several aliases to obtain prescription drugs.

Public records show that Dr. Murray was in serious financial trouble before he became Mr. Jackson’s doctor, facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in debts and liens and a Las Vegas home in foreclosure proceedings.

Ed Chernoff, a lawyer for Dr. Murray, said in a statement Monday: “Much of what was in the search warrant affidavit is factual. However, unfortunately, much is police theory. Most egregiously, the timeline reported by law enforcement was not obtained through interviews with Dr. Murray.”

Lt. Fred Corral, an investigator at the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, said the toxicology tests and a final autopsy report had been completed but were being kept confidential at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department, which continues to investigate Dr. Murray.

A spokesman for the police department said he had no official statement regarding the case since the investigation was continuing.

michael jackson's mother given custody of children

2009-08-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

michael jackson's mother given custody of children

Michael Jackson's mother was granted permanent custody of the singer's three children Monday, ending one of the court battles that had been brewing since the pop star's death.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved the agreement reached last week by attorneys for Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe, mother of the two older children, in which the children will be raised by their grandmother and Rowe keeps visitation and legal parental rights.

The late pop icon had said in his 2002 will that his mother should care for Prince Michael Jr., 12, and Paris Michael Katherine, 11, and his youngest child, Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket, who was carried by a surrogate.

Beckloff made the appointment over a last-minute bid by Jackson's dermatologist to get involved in the case. The judge ruled that Dr. Arnold Klein, who treated Jackson for nearly 25 years, had no legal standing. An attorney for the doctor said his client had concerns about the children's welfare, but did not specify. Rowe met Jackson while working in Klein's office.

Moving through a long list of issues before him at the day's hearing, Beckloff also approved undisclosed monthly allowances for the singer's mother and children. Katherine Jackson's attorneys filed papers last month asking for the payments, saying their client had no source of income other than Social Security, and that her son had provided for her when he was alive.

Beckloff granted Katherine Jackson the full amount she requested for herself, but reduced the sum that attorneys requested for the children, saying some of it appeared unnecessary.

The matter of Jackson's estate, on the other hand, still seemed contentious. Attorneys for Katherine Jackson and the special administrators named in Jackson's will met for 90 minutes during the morning hearing to discuss a settlement, but came back and told the judge they were unable to reach one.

Katherine Jackson, in papers filed last week, accused the temporary administrators -- music executive John McClain and entertainment attorney John Branca -- of keeping her in the dark about the estate's affairs.

Beckloff on Monday extended the temporary powers of the administrators for another 60 days.

warrants for jackson's doc call singer 'addict'

2009-07-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

warrants for jackson's doc call singer 'addict'

LOS ANGELES — Authorities investigating Michael Jackson's death alluded to the singer as an "addict" and were seeking evidence related to the powerful anesthetic propofol, according to search warrants released Thursday.

The documents show investigators have cause to believe several California Business and Professions codes had been broken, including "excessive prescribing," a misdemeanor punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to 180 days.

Los Angeles police and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents spent much of Tuesday at the Las Vegas home and business of Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who is the focus of a manslaughter investigation. The raids sought evidence supporting that charge, as well as code violations, including "prescribing to an addict" and "unprofessional conduct."

The state codes cover all prescribing professionals, including doctors and dentists, and violations could lead to a revoked or suspended license, said Kimberly Kirchmeyer, deputy director of the Medical Board of California. The codes state a physician cannot prescribe drugs to anyone with a chemical dependency or who is using the drugs for non-therapeutic purposes; they define an addict as someone who continues to use a drug despite harm, shows compulsive use or has impaired control over use.

The warrants, which had been sealed when the searches were conducted, also said investigators wanted all documentation relating to the "purchase, transfer, receiving, ordering, delivery and storage of propofol."

A law enforcement official earlier told The Associated Press that on the day Jackson died Murray gave him propofol to help him sleep and that investigators are working under the theory the anesthetic caused Jackson's heart to stop. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

A cause of death has yet to be announced. The Los Angeles County coroner has twice said toxicology findings on Jackson were imminent but after meeting Thursday with investigators Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter announced an indefinite delay. Winter said further investigation needs to be done; he did not go into detail.

Propofol, dubbed "milk of amnesia," is commonly used for surgeries and is not meant as a sleep agent or to be given in private homes. Because of its potency, only trained anesthesia professionals are supposed to administer it and patients are to be monitored at all times.

Murray, a cardiologist, has spoken to police but not commented publicly since Jackson died June 25. His attorney, Edward Chernoff, did not comment Thursday, but has previously said the doctor did not prescribe anything that "should have" killed Jackson.

Jackson was given anesthesia for numerous medical procedures over the years and had a long history of prescription drug use.

Search warrants issued last week in Houston allowed authorities to search Murray's clinic and a storage unit. They were the first public acknowledgment that investigators consider Jackson's death a possible manslaughter and that Murray is the target of the investigation.

The Las Vegas warrants were far more detailed and authorized authorities to look for medical and other records related to Jackson or any of the apparent 19 aliases he used, including the names Omar Arnold, Josephine Baker, Paul Farance, Jack London and Michael Amir Williams Muhammad.

Among the items seized in the Vegas searches were an iPhone, copies of several computer hard drives, a CD with the name Omar Arnold on it and a binder containing invoices for medical equipment and supplies. No propofol was found.

The warrant also shows investigators are seeking correspondence from seven doctors it names. One, Dr. Allan Metzger of Los Angeles, is an internist and rheumatologist who had a close relationship with Jackson beginning in 2002 and was godfather to one of the singer's children, said his attorney, Harland Braun.

Braun said Jackson invited Metzger to his home April 18. He spent about an hour and a half with him, during which time Jackson asked about sleep medication, particularly propofol.

Metzger told him it was dangerous, could be life threatening and should not be used outside a hospital, and suggested Jackson use some other sleep medication, Braun said.

Metzger's experience echoed Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who gave Jackson nutritional counseling earlier this year, who said he complained of insomnia and asked her repeatedly for Diprivan, the brand-name version of propofol. Lee said she also warned him of the drug's dangers and rejected his requests.

michael jackson's former manager gives back 'secret' £3.4m

2009-07-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

michael jackson's former manager gives back 'secret' £3.4m

Michael Jackson’s former manager has handed over a ‘secret’ £3.4million windfall to the executors of the star’s will.

Dr Tohme Tohme claims he was given the cash by Jackson so that he could buy a dream home in Las Vegas.

He admitted he had the money after the administrators of Jackson’s estate said they ‘recovered’ the cash from an unnamed ‘former financial adviser’.

Jackson’s sister La Toya told The Mail on Sunday this month that she believed her brother was effectively murdered as part of a conspiracy to steal his fortune and that at least £1million went missing from his home after his death.

John Branca and John McClain, executors of Jackson’s will, are trying to unravel his financial affairs. He left debts of around £240million but Branca and McClain said in court papers released on Friday that they believed his assets would pay off his debt and leave his children Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Blanket, seven, with a £100million fortune.

Tohme said yesterday: ‘It was not recovered. I had the money and gave it to them.
‘It was a secret between Michael and me...But when he passed away I told them I had this money and I gave it to them.’

jackson's doctor gave drug authorities believe killed him

2009-07-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

jackson's doctor gave drug authorities believe killed him

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, administered a powerful drug that authorities believe killed the singer, a source close to the investigation confirmed to CNN on Monday.

Murray, a Texas-based cardiologist, allegedly gave Jackson the anesthetic propofol -- commonly known by the brand name Diprivan -- in the 24 hours before he died, the source said.

The doctor's attorneys in a statement Monday said they wouldn't comment on "rumors, innuendo or unnamed sources." In the past, they have said Murray never prescribed or administered anything that could have killed the pop star.

Murray was the doctor who was at Jackson's home when the pop star died on June 25.

Last week, Texas authorities searched Murray's Houston medical office and storage unit, looking for "evidence of the offense of manslaughter," according to court documents.

Among the items removed from Murray's office were a computer; 27 tablets of phentermine, a prescription-strength appetite suppressant; 1 tablet of clonazepam, an anti-anxiety medication; and some Rolodex cards.

From Murray's storage unit, authorities removed two computer hard drives; and "important contact list;" a suspension notice from Houston's Doctor Hospital; notices from the Internal Revenue Service; and a laundry list of medical and hospital documents.

Ed Chernoff, a Houston lawyer hired by Murray soon after Jackson's death, confirmed at the time that Los Angeles Police detectives and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents used a search warrant to enter Murray's office in northeast Houston on Wednesday morning.

Chernoff said members of Murray's legal team were at the medical office during the search, which he said "was conducted by members of the DEA, two robbery-homicide detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department and Houston Police officers."

Tammy Kidd, a spokeswoman at Chernoff's office, told CNN the search "was absolutely a surprise to us, because we've had open lines of communication this whole time."

Police have interviewed Murray twice since Jackson's death. A third interview was scheduled for July 24, but was postponed after the search warrants were executed. It's unknown when the next interview will take place.

Among those who have indicated that Jackson may have been using dangerous prescription medication are nutritionist Cherilyn Lee, who said Jackson pleaded for the powerful sedative Diprivan despite being told of its harmful effects.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County coroner's office continues to investigate the cause of Jackson's death on June 25. It has been waiting on toxicology lab results, but a final autopsy report is expected as soon as this week, a coroner's spokesman has said.

jacko is forever as hair turns into diamonds

2009-07-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

jacko is forever as hair turns into diamonds

A lock of Michael Jackson's hair is to be turned into diamonds to give a select few fans a unique way of remembering their idol.

The star lost the hair when he was set on fire during the filming of a Pepsi advert in 1984.

Ralph Cohen, the executive producer of the video, scooped up some of the charred strands and put them in his pocket as Jackson was rushed off set to hospital.

He kept it for 25 years before selling it to John Reznikoff, who has amassed a collection of hair from famous historical figures including Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.

Now the collector has teamed up with LifeGem to produce an exclusive set of diamonds from a portion of the hair. The rest will remain in his collection.

LifeGem founder Dean VandenBiesen said: "We specialise in creating diamonds from locks of hair.

"Our plan is to give people an opportunity to own a diamond made from Michael Jackson's DNA.

"We are currently evaluating Jackson's hair sample to determine how many diamonds can be created.

"This will be a limited collection and we anticipate great interest."

The company previously worked with Reznikoff to create diamonds from Beethoven's hair in 2007 and sold one of them on eBay for around $200,000 (£122,000).

The process involves capturing carbon from the hair and heating it to very high temperatures until it is converted into graphite.

This is then placed into a diamond press, which replicates the heat and pressure from deep within the earth, where it will crystallise into a diamond.

Meanwhile, Jackson's former financial adviser has handed over millions of dollars of the King of Pop's money to his executors.

Dr Tohme Tohme said the $5.5m (£3.3m) was "a secret between Michael and me" and had been earmarked for the purchase of a "dream home" in Las Vegas.

monthly allowances for jackson's mother, children will be urged

2009-07-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

monthly allowances for jackson's mother, children will be urged

Michael Jackson provided full financial support to his mother when he was alive and his estate should continue to do so after his death, the temporary administrators of the pop star's affairs plan to argue at a hearing in August.

In court papers filed Thursday, the administrators asked for approval to pay a monthly allowance to Katherine Jackson, 79. The specific amount requested is under seal.

"The special administrators are informed and believe that Mrs. Jackson has no other sources of income currently available other than Social Security income," lawyers for administrators John Branca and John McClain wrote in the filing.

Jackson's mother is caring for her son's three children, and the administrators requested an additional monthly allowance for them. According to the court papers, the Jackson children are beneficiaries of an insurance policy "but the insurance proceeds have not yet been collected."

The allowances are among a host of issues Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff is to take up at a hearing Aug. 3. A 2002 will signed by Jackson appoints Branca and McClain executors and transfers Jackson's assets to a private trust that benefits his mother, his children and a number of charities. The judge has not yet ruled on the validity of the will, but he gave its executors limited control in the meantime.

The administrators' lawyers wrote in the papers that they are still analyzing Jackson's affairs but believe that he owns the family home in Encino where Katherine Jackson lives. The administrators are paying the mortgage, taxes, utilities and gardener fees at the home, their attorneys wrote.

Jackson's father, siblings and other relatives are not mentioned in the court papers, and the administrators' lawyers wrote that "no individuals other than the minor children and Mrs. Jackson are entitled to a family allowance in this estate."

Although Jackson owed creditors at least $400 million at the time of his death, his assets outweighed his debts by more than $200 million and the value of his estate has grown daily with the posthumous popularity of his music.

Additionally, the estate received $5.5 million last week from Tohme R. Tohme, a businessman who advised Jackson in the final years of his life. In an interview Saturday, Tohme said he informed Branca shortly after Jackson's June 25 death that he was holding the funds.

He said the money came from record royalties and was going to be used for sprucing up a "dream house" for Jackson in Las Vegas.

"It was a house that belonged to some foreign people, and it is not finished yet," Tohme said. "It was to go for landscaping and some other things that would put [Jackson's] touch on it."

Jackson told him not to tell anyone about the money, he said.

"He said it was something private between him and me, and I honored those wishes," he said.

was omer bhatti michael jackson's love child?

2009-07-25T00:41:00.000-07:00

was omer bhatti michael jackson's love child?

LOS ANGELES - Even as custody of Jackson’s three children is set to be decided in court on Aug. 3, The Sun newspaper speculated the singer may have had a love-child raised in Norway.

Omer Bhatti, 25, sparked interest when he was spotted sitting with the singer’s immediate family at Jackson’s public memorial earlier this month. Bhatti reportedly spent time with Jackson at his Neverland Valley Ranch in the 1990s and was known as “Little Michael.”

But another of Jackson’s former proteges, singer Ricky Harlow, told celebrity website People.com Friday that although they were close he doubted Bhatti was Jackson’s son.

“They had a father-and-son type of connection,” Harlow, 26, told People, “but I never thought he (Jackson) was his biological father.”

In Jackson’s 2002 will, the singer listed only three children now living: Prince Michael Jackson, Jr, Paris Michael Kathering Jackson and Prince Michael Joseph Jackson II.

michael jackson's doctor named in court manslaughter document

2009-07-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

michael jackson's doctor named in court manslaughter document

Michael Jackson’s personal doctor is an official target in a manslaughter investigation into the singer’s death, according to legal documents filed in a Houston court.

An approved search warrant allowed authorities to seek “property or items constituting evidence of the offense of manslaughter that tend to show that Dr Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offence”.

Police accompanied by federal drug agents entered the clinic used by Dr Murray, who was staying at Jackson’s rented Los Angeles home on the night that Jackson died.

Officials said that they were looking for information on the use of the powerful anaesthetic Diprivan (propofol), which is used to induce unconsciousness in hospital patients before major surgery. Reports have said that it was found in Jackson’s home.

Dr Murray, 51, has been a central character in the investigation from the outset – he tried to revive the King of Pop with cardiac massage when he lost consciousness on June 25. The surprise search of his property on Wednesday indicated that authorities were focusing on him, but the warrant language makes it clear that he could face a manslaughter charge.

A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman confirmed that a search warrant was served but declined to comment further. LAPD investigators have interviewed Dr Murray twice so far.

Dr Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, would only respond to the development by referring to an earlier statement in which he confirmed a search warrant had been executed and that none of the items seized had previously been requested by authorities.

The documents filed yesterday detailed items taken when officials descended on the clinic. Among them: 27 tablets of the weight-loss drug phentermine, a tablet of the muscle relaxant clonazepam, a forensic image of a hard drive, Rolodex business cards and e-mails.

Dr Murray, a cardiologist, is licensed to practise in California, Texas and Nevada. Records show he has had no disciplinary actions taken against him. He was hired as Jackson’s personal physician not long before he died.

The official coroner’s verdict into what caused Jackson’s sudden death at the age of 50 has been delayed, despite a second post-mortem examination demanded by the singer’s family. An official determination of what killed Jackson is expected to be made in about a week, when the Los Angeles County coroner receives a completed toxicology report.

The gossip website TMZ.com, which broke the news of Jackson's collapse and death, reported today that the verdict was due to be released last week and the cause of death would "almost certainly" be listed as homicide.

On Monday, Joe Jackson, his father, accused Dr Murray of being involved in his son’s death, something the doctor has fiercely denied through his lawyer. “The doctor gave him something to make him rest and he don’t wake up no more. Something is wrong,” Mr Jackson told the talk-show host Larry King.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter confirmed last night that he has sought information from seven or eight doctors and said that Dr Murray was the only one he yet to talk to him.

Mr Winter said his lawyer had offered to speak with the coroner last week but without Dr Murray present.

“We don’t want to talk to the attorney, we want to talk to Murray,” Mr Winter said.

manslaughter inquiry into jackson’s doctor

2009-07-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

manslaughter inquiry into jackson’s doctor

LOS ANGELES — The cardiologist who tried to revive Michael Jackson the day he died is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department on suspicion of manslaughter, according to two sealed search warrants filed Thursday.

The search warrants confirm that the inquiry into Mr. Jackson’s death last month has become a criminal investigation.

The warrants, filed in Harris County District Court in Texas, were executed by officers with the Los Angeles and Houston police and agents for the Drug Enforcement Administration during the raids Wednesday at an office and a self-storage unit in Houston of the cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray.

An inventory of evidence confiscated from the search of the office, at the Armstrong Medical Clinic, includes Rolodex cards, e-mail messages, letters, a phone receipt and two vials of medication — phentermine, an appetite suppressant, and clonazepam, an anti-anxiety drug. Investigators also took a forensic copy of Dr. Murray’s computer.

A list of evidence obtained at a rental storage unit included computer hard drives, compact discs and dozens of documents including a medical suspension notice from a local hospital.

Investigators searched the medical clinic at 10:50 a.m. Wednesday and found receipts for the storage unit, which they raided four hours later.

Charles Lyon, whose wife manages Eighteenth Street Self Storage, said in a telephone interview on Thursday that Dr. Murray rented unit No. 337 on April 1 under the name of Acres Home Heart Vascular Institute.

Mr. Lyon said a Los Angeles police officer and two officers with the Houston Police Department arrived Wednesday afternoon and asked to see the unit.

“Then they went and got a search warrant and I went up there and cut the lock,” he said.

Dr. Murray, who worked in California, Nevada and Texas, is among several doctors police investigators have interviewed in connection with Mr. Jackson’s death. Dr. Murray had been recently hired by Mr. Jackson to attend to him during a planned 50-concert tour.

Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, said he expected his office to issue a final autopsy report next week.

Coroner officials confiscated several bags of medical supplies and drugs from Mr. Jackson’s Holmby Hills home after his death. The cause of his death has been listed as “deferred” pending a death investigation. A coroner’s official said this week that toxicology test results had been completed, but that the results were being analyzed.

Calls to Dr. Murray’s office and to his lawyer, Ed Chernoff, for interviews were not returned. A statement posted Wednesday on Mr. Chernoff’s Web site confirmed that the authorities were investigating his client on suspicion of manslaughter and that they had taken documents and other evidence from his office.

Dr. Murray was well known in Houston, where he practiced medicine in the predominantly black neighborhood of Acres Home, where his father, Dr. Rawle Andrews, had established himself as one the few black doctors serving the community before desegregation.

“Dr. Murray’s been my doctor five or six years,” said Cuney Williams, who had surgery performed by Dr. Murray. “He saved my life and my husband’s life.”

authorities search houston office of jackson's physician

2009-07-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

authorities search houston office of jackson's physician

Armed with a search warrant indicating that Michael Jackson's death is being investigated as a manslaughter, a team of Los Angeles Police Department detectives and federal drug agents swooped into the Houston medical clinic operated by the pop star's personal physician Wednesday and seized documents and computer files.

The warrant signed by a Harris County District Court judge and executed on the offices of Dr. Conrad Murray was the strongest indication yet that authorities are considering serious criminal charges in the performer's sudden death June 25.

"The search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents, they believed constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter," said the doctor's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, in a statement.

The search of the office was the fourth warrant served in a monthlong investigation that has included several dozen interviews with witnesses, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Murray, whose main practice and residence are in Las Vegas, was not present for the 3 1/2 -hour search by officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division and the Houston Police Department. DEA spokeswoman Violet Szeleczky said investigators went to the Acres Home Heart and Vascular Institute, a cardiology clinic Murray opened in 2006, in search of records, but she declined to elaborate.

A DEA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the warrant mentioned the anesthetic propofol. Police removed large quantities of the powerful drug from Jackson's Holmby Hills mansion, and DEA agents have been working with the manufacturer to trace the source of a specific lot number of the drug.

Propofol was not found in Murray's office, a source familiar with the search said. Investigators took Murray's Rolodex, business cards, information about his use of FedEx, e-mails he had received from a former employee, receipts for a storage unit and cellphone and pamphlets advertising a nearby sleep clinic, the source said. Officers took a folder containing a biography of Murray and a photocopy of a picture of him, the source said.

His lawyer said the investigators also made a copy of a business computer hard drive.

Harris County District Court Judge Shawna L. Reagin signed the warrant, but court officials said the records were sealed and referred questions to L.A. authorities. An LAPD supervisor declined to say what investigators had hoped to find in Houston but cautioned against reading too much into the search. The department has never described the probe as criminal, and the cause of death remains unknown.

"It is an ongoing investigation into circumstances surrounding Michael Jackson's death," said LAPD Cmdr. Pat Gannon.

Sources familiar with the investigation said officials could ultimately conclude that Jackson died accidentally or find that there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone in connection with his death.

Murray, a 51-year-old cardiologist, opened the Houston clinic three years ago in honor of his father, a physician who had worked in the poor, predominantly black neighborhood for decades. Murray traveled to Houston twice a month to see patients until May, when he suspended his practice to work full-time for Jackson, according to a biography provided by his lawyer.

Although Murray had been hired to care for Jackson at a monthly salary of $150,000, the performer was also seeing a number of other physicians, and the L.A. County coroner's office has subpoenaed medical records from several physicians. The spotlight on Murray, however, has been the most intense because he was with Jackson at his home when the singer went into cardiac arrest.

Murray has been questioned twice by LAPD investigators and provided them with medical records related to treatment he provided Jackson in Las Vegas in the three years before his death. Last week, coroner's officials investigating the cause of his death requested their own interview and additional medical records, Murray's lawyer said. No time for the meeting has been set.

Chernoff said that none of the 21 documents seized from the clinic was among those previously requested by the coroner's office or law enforcement.

The search attracted intense attention, with some news websites streaming live footage of the outside of the clinic. U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson-Lee (D- Texas), who spoke at Jackson's memorial service and whose district includes the area where Murray's office is located, had a staffer present at the building when the office was searched. The staff member was there, a spokesman said, "as a concerned community representative."

USC law professor Jean Rosenbluth, a former federal prosecutor, said the reference to manslaughter in the search warrant provides some insight into detectives' interpretation of the evidence but ultimately may be irrelevant.

"You get a search warrant because you are investigating the possible commission of a crime, but all of this is just at the investigatory stage. All the time there are investigations where no one is charged with a crime in the end," she said.

She said that when the deceased is a global icon, "they are not going to leave any stones unturned."

"With the whole world watching they would want every 't' crossed and every 'I' dotted," she said.

video of jackson 1984 pepsi burn accident surfaces

2009-07-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

video of jackson 1984 pepsi burn accident surfaces

NEW YORK — Us Weekly magazine has obtained video it says shows never-before-seen footage of Michael Jackson's head catching on fire during filming of his 1984 Pepsi commercial.

Jackson suffered severe burns after a pyrotechnics mishap caused his hair and scalp to catch afire. Still photos of the accident have been seen before, but the new video on Us Weekly's Web site shows the moment Jackson's hair caught on fire and the top of his head became engulfed in flames.

Jackson didn't realize his hair was on fire. In the video, he's still dancing as the flames are on his head. When he spins, the flames go out. People on the set tackle him to extinguish the fire, and his brother Jermaine Jackson, playing the guitar in front of him and oblivious to the commotion, turns around. When Michael Jackson emerges from the pile of people trying to help him, the top of his head is bald.

The accident, witnessed by thousands of stunned fans at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, came at the height of Jackson's fame, about a year after the release of his best-selling "Thriller" album. It marked what would be the beginning of serious, lifelong pain for Jackson, who had been treated for painkiller addiction and has been described by relatives and friends as being hooked on pain medication at the time of his death last month at age 50.

Jackson, who was photographed in an ambulance with a bandage on his head and his trademark sequined white glove on his right hand, required several surgeries and needed skin grafts to treat the injury.

In his autobiography, "Moonwalk," he described the cause of the accident as "stupidity, pure and simple."

As he described the accident, he wrote: "... bombs went off on either side of my head, and the sparks set my hair on fire. I was dancing down this ramp and turning around, spinning, not knowing I was on fire. Suddenly I felt my hands reflexively go to my head in an attempt to smother the flames."

As a result of the accident, Pepsi gave Jackson $1.5 million, which he donated to a burn center named after him.

A representative for Us Weekly had no immediate comment on where the video came from.

On the Net:

Us Weekly: http://www.usmagazine.com

michael jackson 'kept suicide note'

2009-07-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

michael jackson 'kept suicide note'

Friends of the King of Pop have claimed that he “often overdosed” and had been trying to kill himself for a decade. One said: “We’re surprised he even made it to 50”.

The Daily Star reported that insiders believe the financially struggling star “couldn’t face his problems” and wanted a way out.

He would keep the suicide note in his pocket and overdosed, they told the newspaper. “Michael always talked about dying young,” one said. “He wrote suicide notes then tore them up. He kept one with him – he often read it.

“He wanted everyone to know how sad he was." Another friend told the newspaper that Jackson had wanted to end his life ever since he was humiliated by child abuse claims in the 1990s.

Meanwhile it has emerged that Jackson's skin doctor is under investigation over the singer's death. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter walked into Dr Arnold Klein's office to demand medical records be handed over on Tuesday.

Officers are expected to investigate the dermatologist's prescription practices with regard to the vast amount of drugs Jackson was taking and whether medication was given to aliases.

Dr Klein has admitted "occasionally" giving him sedative Demerol, but said: "That was the strongest medication I ever used."

As he walked up to Dr Klein's office, Mr Winter said: "I'm here to talk to him. The investigation is still ongoing." He emerged after an hour – and later revealed he had been promised all Jackson's medical files within 24 hours.

He said on Monday that some of the toxicology and brain autopsy results, which determine what substances the singer had in his body when he died, are in. The remaining results were expected soon.

The actress Elizabeth Taylor, 77, a friend of the late singer, was last night being treated in an LA hospital as she struggles to come to terms with his death.

michael jackson's record sales top 9 million since his death

2009-07-15T21:12:00.001-07:00

michael jackson's record sales top 9 million since his death

The surge in sales of Michael Jackson's music catalog continued Wednesday with the announcement that his albums dominated the pop charts for the third consecutive week, and a source told The Times that more than 9 million of Jackson's solo recordings have been sold worldwide since his death June 25.

Nielsen SoundScan said Jackson's albums sold 1.1 million copies over the last seven days and had combined to sell an impressive 2.3 million in the U.S. in the nearly three weeks since he died.

Sony Music, which controls the catalog of his solo recordings, declines as a policy to comment on sales issues, but a spokeswoman for the label did not dispute the accuracy of the 9-million figure. Jackson's music has also topped the pop charts in countries including France, Germany, Australia and the U.K. during the same period.

The dramatic influx of income for the singer's estate illustrates what's at stake in the legal battle to name an executor for Jackson's will.

This month, lawyers for the singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, filed court papers asking that she oversee his estate. Days later, two of Jackson's longtime associates -- entertainment attorney John Branca and veteran music industry executive John McClain -- filed a will the performer signed in 2002 naming them executors. A hearing on the matter of an executor is scheduled for Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.

Although Jackson was about $400 million in debt to various financial institutions, people with knowledge of the singer's business holdings say his assets outweigh his debt by at least $200 million -- and those assets are only increasing with the tremendous record sales.

In the meantime, the popularity of Jackson's music, memorabilia and even performances inspired by his body of work shows no sign of diminishing.

"We're seeing a real outpouring from fans and consumers who are looking to connect and get past what's happened -- the tragedy of his death -- through attaching themselves to his music," said Gary Arnold, senior entertainment officer for the national music retailer Best Buy.

Sales of Jackson's music have remained "exceedingly strong" in the weeks since his death, Arnold said. "They're buying a pretty broad spectrum of his work; they aren't just buying 'Thriller' but a broad range of titles from throughout Michael's career. Realistically we expect to see people connecting at unprecedented levels through Christmas."

Amazon.com typically doesn't discuss sales figures, but in the wake of Jackson's death company spokesman Andrew Herdener said "the customer response to Michael Jackson's death has been staggering and unprecedented -- we took more orders for Jackson CDs and MP3s in the first 24 hours after his death than we did in the previous 11 years of the Amazon music store."

There were other manifestations of the insatiable appetite for all things Jackson. The performer's songs were punched up just shy of 1 million times on the 38,000 jukeboxes operated by TouchTunes, the nation's leading jukebox supplier. Thirteen of his songs, either solo or with the Jackson 5, were in the company's Top 100 songs for the period, and his recordings occupied half the slots in the Top 10.

Maximizing on the Jackson mania that has sent fans into mourning worldwide, producers of the U.K. stage musical "Thriller Live" announced that they were taking the show on the road this month.

The musical -- a two-hour tribute concert using Jackson impersonators to showcase many of the singer's best-known songs -- will begin traveling across Europe on Tuesday and will be performed in several U.S. cities at some point in the next 12 months, an announcement said.

The six-member, North Carolina-based Jackson tribute group Who's Bad seized the zeitgeist by booking a North American tour July 9 that will send the band members traveling coast to coast through November.

"With Michael Jackson gone, Who’s Bad is, right now, the closest thing to hearing and seeing him perform," the band's leader Vamsi Tadepalli says in a statement on its website. "We only seek to keep those memories alive."

lethal drug cocktail in star's body

2009-07-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

lethal drug cocktail in star's body

MICHAEL Jackson had lethal levels of powerful painkiller Demerol and heroin substitute methadone in his body when he died, The Sun can reveal.

Tests show the tragic star had taken a cocktail of drugs strong enough to have killed any normal person instantly.

But he had been on vast quantities so long his body became tolerant to huge doses - until his fatal collapse on Thursday of last week.

The shock findings are in preliminary toxicology reports submitted to the Los Angeles county coroner’s office.

The contents were revealed as sources predicted Jacko’s death could result in manslaughter or even MURDER charges.

A case insider told The Sun: “Michael Jackson was a walking drug store when he died — he never stood a chance.”

As well as lethal levels of DEMEROL and METHADONE, blood tests found high levels of antianxiety drug XANAX.

Also present were lower levels of PROPOFOL — an anaesthetic for hospital use only, but which Jackson used as a sleeping draft.

A significant amount of narcotic DILAUDID, normally used to numb post-surgery pain, was discovered.

In addition there were “therapeutic” levels of FENTANYL, another post-op painkiller 100 times more potent than morphine, plus prescription painkiller VICODIN, anti-anxiety pills VALIUM and the sleeping drug AMBIEN.

The insider said: “The body can build up extreme tolerances to huge doses of drugs but eventually it overloads and just shuts down. That is what happened to Michael.

Pressure

“Tests showed that as well as Demerol and methadone, he had taken four more painkillers and anaesthetics plus anti-anxiety pills.

“This is sure to increase pressure on police to establish exactly how one man obtained so many prescription medications — and which doctors were responsible.

“There is increasing talk of manslaughter charges if it can be shown he was given drugs without proper regard for his safety.”

Police Chief William Bratton said he was waiting for the final toxicology reports, currently weeks away.

He added: “Based on those, we will have an idea what we are dealing with. Are we dealing with a homicide or are we dealing with accidental overdose?”

The early findings support The Sun’s exclusive revelation that 50-year-old King of Pop was given an injection of Demerol about 40 minutes before his heart stopped.

Jackson’s dermatologist Dr Arnold Klein — the close pal rumoured to be the father of two of the star’s three children — has already admitted occasionally giving Jackson Demerol after surgery.

But he insisted he had warned him about Propofol, also known as Diprivan.

Klein said: “I knew at one point he was using Diprivan was on tour in Germany. I told him he was absolutely insane. I said, ‘You have to quit it. This drug, you can’t repeatedly take’.”

Jackson last toured Germany in 1997 — indicating he may have been taking the potentially lethal medication for at least 12 years.

At least four doctors are at the core of the investigation. One, personal physician Dr Conrad Murray, was with Jacko when he collapsed.

Yesterday a letter from a Dr Alex Farshchian and dated July 21, 2002, emerged suggesting Jackson trade his dependence on Demerol for injectable painkiller Buprenex.

Said to have been found at Jackson’s rented house and published on a US website, it said: “Buprenex is the potent narcotic I told you about last week. It is just like the D but better.” The letter suggests a five to seven-day program “that offers you the solution”.

The doctor adds: “I have everything ready. This is it.”

Eerily, seven years later This Is It would be the title Jackson chose for his comeback shows.

A scribbled note found near his drug stash, possibly written by Jackson, said: “Buprenex does the same as Demerol, the only difference is you can’t become an addict on Buprenex.”

Another letter — headed Outpatient Detoxification Sheet — names methadone as the most common way to treat drug dependency.

Meanwhile documents and snaps from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s department also emerged showing the depths of Jackson’s drug habit were uncovered in 2003.

Officers raided his Neverland home while probing child abuse claims — and found powerful narcotics, syringes, vials and IV bags.

Jackson had been so desperate to score prescription drugs that he even used his best friend’s identity.

Among the police snaps is one showing a bottle of anti-anxiety drug Alprazolum, also known as Xanax, in the name Frank Tyson — prescribed by Dr Klein.

Tyson’s real name is Frank Cascio. He is a pal’s son who Jackson befriended as a toddler and put on his payroll when he turned 18.

Frank hung out with him at Elizabeth Taylor’s Swiss chalet in Gstaad in September 1993. And Jackson often sought sanctuary in Frank’s New Jersey home — once spending three months there.

It is thought Frank, now 30, had no idea Jackson was using his name like this — though the star frequently begged aides to get him prescription drugs to top up his own legal supply.

In 2004 bodyguard Chris Carter told investigators he used several names to get prescriptions, including those of ranch manager Jesus Salas and employee Joe Marcus.

Carter also claimed Jacko was once so “spaced out” he fell flat on his face in a hotel — but still continued the drug binge which five years later would lead to his death.

The progress of the drug addictions is to be mapped by a battery of tests — to Jackson’s BRAIN.

It was removed before Tuesday’s memorial service and slices will show when he first suffered drug reactions.

Renowned pathologist Dr Michael Baden said: “Everything from whether he was beaten as a child to any small tumours, or previous overdoses that he may have suffered, will show up.

“The brain results will determine if he was given improper medication, and how authentic statements provided by his physicians were.”

THE human body can build up a startling tolerance to morphine-based and tranquilliser drugs, writes Health and Science Editor Emma Morton. The phenomenon, tachyphylaxis, means larger and larger doses are needed to have an effect. This puts massive pressure on the heart, triggering heart failure.

michael jackson's family silent on burial plans

2009-07-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

michael jackson's family silent on burial plans

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than 31 million Americans watched Michael Jackson's public memorial on television, but mystery surrounded the whereabouts of his body on Wednesday and plans for his burial.

A day after Jackson's casket was taken to a Los Angeles basketball arena for an emotional memorial for fans, friends and his family, attention returned to how Jackson got his hands on powerful prescription drugs reportedly found in his rented mansion after his sudden death on June 25.

Sales of Jackson's albums soared for a second week, with his solo albums jumping another 90 percent to 800,000 copies in the United States, tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan said.

Nielsen Media Research said 31.1 million Americans watched Tuesday's Los Angeles memorial live on television. The figure is lower than the TV audience of some other recent events.

Some 49.5 million Americans tuned in for President Barack Obama's first White House news conference in February, and 35 million watched former President Ronald Reagan's 2004 burial live on TV.

The Nielsen figures do not include viewing on the Internet or other platforms, which has grown rapidly in the last few years.

The Jackson family spokesman did not return calls for comment on burial plans for the "Thriller" singer, who died of cardiac arrest at age 50.

NO REQUEST FOR NEVERLAND BURIAL

California officials and those in Santa Barbara County said the family has not asked for the required special permission to bury Jackson at his abandoned Neverland Valley Ranch in central California.

Media reports said the Los Angeles coroner's office was conducting neuropathology tests on part of Jackson's brain, which could be behind the delay in the family's burial plans.

One of Jackson's doctors, Beverly Hills dermatologist Arnold Klein, on Wednesday denied he was one of the targets of a police investigation over drugs seized from Jackson's home after his death.

"I was not one of the doctors who participated in giving him overdoses of drugs or too much of anything," Klein told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview.

"I always was concerned about him. No matter what he wanted, someone would give it to him," he said. Klein also denied media reports that he was the sperm donor of Jackson's two children with his ex-wife Debbie Rowe.

A spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the elaborate memorial cost the cash-strapped city $1.4 million, "far less" than an initial estimate of $3.8 million.

City officials had braced for as many as 250,000 fans to show up at the Staples Center. The actual number was closer to 1,000. Donors chipped in $17,000 after the city set up a website asking for cash to cover the cost, he added.

Jackson's music is enjoying the commercial success that eluded the "King of Pop" in recent years.

The singer's "Number Ones" compilation was the top-selling album in the United States during the week ended July 5, and his 1982 blockbuster "Thriller" took second place.

history of superstar's unreleased songs

2009-07-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

history of superstar's unreleased songs

Since Michael Jackson's unexpected death, fans and industry insiders have been wondering what unreleased music the pop icon may have left behind.

Reports that he was collaborating on a comeback album with leading hip-hop and R&B artists emerged as early as 2006. He had worked on songs with will.i.am, and Ne-Yo had offered material for consideration.

MEMORIAL PLANS: Grammys' Ehrlich tells how it all came together

Akon— whose sweetly lyrical Hold My Hand, featuring Jackson on vocals, was leaked last year — says he and Jackson were working on additional songs. Jackson was intent on crafting an album with "positive messages that would bring people together, upbeat songs as well as ballads," Akon says.

"And his voice was incredible — it had not changed."

Billboard reported last week that Jackson had been at work on both a new pop album, his first since 2001's Invincible, and an instrumental album of classical music.

Veteran engineer and producer Bruce Swedien, a longtime Jackson and Quincy Jones colleague who worked on Off the Wall and Thriller, says he and Jackson had "experimented" with classical music but had "a bunch of things in the works" in more of a pop vein. "There were pieces of music that I think would have been wonderful."

Swedien, whose book In the Studio With Michael Jackson arrives July 27, describes one unreleased song, Don't Be Messin' Around, as "a medium-tempo piece, with Jackson playing piano. And he does it well."

Others point to older recordings. Tommy Mottola, formerly head of Sony Music, Jackson's record company, says the singer accumulated a lot of material that never left the studio. And Queen guitarist Brian May revealed on his website after the superstar's death that he and Freddie Mercury had recorded tracks at Jackson's home.

Sony says Jackson had been in talks for eight months about a 30th anniversary edition of Off theWall that would pair him with other stars, as with the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller. The label says it has no plans to unveil new or repackaged songs.

That hasn't discouraged speculation.

"Of course they're going to put stuff out," says veteran music critic J.D. Considine, who writes for The Globe and Mail in Toronto. "I would be extraordinarily surprised if we didn't have some kind of elaborate box set in time for Christmas."

Former Spin and Vibe editor Alan Light would advise anyone seeking to represent Jackson's work, particularly the unreleased music, "to be careful what context it's presented in." When rapper Notorious B.I.G. died, "songs were rebuilt and reconstructed around scraps. You can do that, but Michael Jackson was a perfectionist.

"I'd argue it wouldn't serve his memory or his creative legacy to just dump stuff out there."

But Mottola says that while Sony "packaged and repackaged his albums for years, there are still true gems in the unreleased material."

The tough part, most agree, will be finding the right people to curate that material. "Sony would be wise to work with people who really know the music, like some of the producers who worked on it originally," Mottola says. "And it would be good to work with (Jackson's) family as well, to keep everything running smoothly."

For his part, Akon plans to "let the family decide" what to do with his and Jackson's most recent efforts: "They knew him better than anybody."

michael jackson memorial cost L.A. $1.4 million

2009-07-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

michael jackson memorial cost L.A. $1.4 million

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The memorial service for singer Michael Jackson cost the city of Los Angeles $1.4 million, the mayor's office said Wednesday.

Costs included putting extra police on the streets, trash pickup, sanitation, traffic control and more for the Tuesday event, spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said.

Three thousand police officers -- almost one-third of the Los Angeles police force -- were on hand to ensure the Jackson events proceeded smoothly, Los Angeles Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell, said Tuesday.

The city, which is $530 million in debt, set up a Web page asking Jackson fans to donate money to help with the expenses.

On Tuesday morning, hundreds of donors contributed more than $17,000 through the Web site. But then, the high volume of traffic caused it to crash frequently and for long periods of time, the mayor's office said.

The city, therefore, was unable to collect contributions for several hours on Tuesday.

The site also crashed for 12 hours, beginning at 8 p.m. Tuesday -- and again, periodically throughout Wednesday morning, the office said.

Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich does not want taxpayers to pay a penny for the service, his spokesman said Wednesday.

"The city attorney does not want something like this happening again, the city paying [the initial costs] for a private event," spokesman John Franklin said.

"That's especially in a cash-strapped city, where people have been furloughed or even lost jobs."

During the Los Angeles Lakers championship parade this year, nearly 2,000 police were called in, at a cost of $2 million. The Lakers and private donors reimbursed the city for most of the expenses.

the rise and fall of the king of pop

2009-07-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

the rise and fall of the king of pop

Here are Jackson's highlights, lowlights and subsequent aftermath of his death:

THE RISE:

:: 1958 – Jackson is born on August 26 in Gary, Indiana.

:: 1963 – He gives his first public performance aged five singing Climb Every Mountain.

:: 1964 – He joins his brothers in The Jackson Five who sign to Motown Records in 1968.

:: 1979 – Teams up with Quincey Jones to release Off The Wall, his first album with Epic and his first solo album as an adult recording artist.

:: 1982 – Thriller is released, an album which would eventually become the world's best-selling album of all-time. The smash hit yields seven top-10 singles.

:: 1985 – Jackson reportedly pays $47 million for the publishing rights to the Beatles' back catalogue.

:: 1987 – He releases Bad and buys the Neverland ranch in California.

:: 1991 – Jackson signs a huge recording contract with Sony Music and later releases Dangerous.

THE FALL:

:: 1993 – A 13-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler claimed Jackson sexually abused him during a visit to the ranch.

The same year, Jackson announced he had become addicted to painkillers and abruptly cancelled a world tour to promote Dangerous.

Jackson reaches a settlement with Chandler's family in 1994, later reported to be 23 million dollars.

:: 1994 – Marries Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The pair are divorced 19 months later.

:: 1996 – Married for the second time to nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996. The couple are divorced three years later.

:: 2001 – The album Invincible – which reportedly cost $30 million to produce – flops.

:: 2002 – Dangles his third child, baby Prince Michael II (whom he calls Blanket), over a fourth-floor balcony at a Berlin hotel, shocking the crowd of fans in the street below.

:: 2003 – The singer tells interviewer Martin Bashir sharing a bed with a young boy is "a beautiful thing".

Documentary reveals that Jackson still has sleepovers with young boys and that his third baby was the child of a surrogate mother. Jackson is furious with the piece and goes on air to blast it.

:: 2005 – He is acquitted of sexually molesting 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo but his career and finances are in tatters.

:: March 2009 – Tickets for 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena sell out within hours after Jackson and music promoter AEG Live announce a surprise comeback for the singer. Jackson, who had been rehearsing in Los Angeles, had been due to start the concerts on July 13.

:: June 25 2009 – Jackson goes into cardiac arrest and dies at the age of 50. Tributes flood in for the King of Pop.

THE AFTERMATH

:: June 29 2009 – Jackson's father Joe says he suspects "foul play somewhere" over his son's death.

Bags of pills and other medicines were seized from his rented mansion as his personal physician continued to insist that the singer had not taken an overdose.

:: June 30 2009 – AEG, promoters of his ill-fated concert, release pictures of his dress rehearsal two days before his death, showing Jackson looking thin but in typical singing and dancing poses as he performed with dancers.

It emerges that he had performed his set for 90 minutes until nearly midnight on June 23.

:: July 1 2009 – Jackson left his fortune to his three children and his mother, the singer's will reveals. The entire estate is left to a family trust, which means under US laws the exact details do not have to be made public.

:: July 7 2009 – Fans gather in Los Angeles ahead of a star-studded memorial service at Staples Centre, Los Angeles, the scene of Jackson's final rehearsal.

michael jackson coffin to be on display at memorial

2009-07-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

michael jackson coffin to be on display at memorial

Los Angeles police confirmed today that Michael Jackson's body will be on display as the biggest names in black American music give the singer a superstar's send-off.

Tens of thousands of fans gathered around Los Angeles's Staples Center – the sports arena where Jackson rehearsed the night before his death – for a public memorial show due to start at 10am (1800 BST).

Before then, Jackson family members were due to hold a private funeral ceremony at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills overlooking the city.

But they will not actually be putting the singer, who died 12 days ago after collapsing at his home, to rest.

William Bratton, the LA police chief, said that the gold-plated casket carrying Jackson's body would be taken across town for display at the public memorial.

He did not say how it would get there, but the celebrity news website TMZ.com – which was the first to report Jackson's death – said that it would be taken by helicopter if any safety issues arose.

A total of 8,750 pairs of tickets were handed out to the memorial show after more than 1.6 million fans applied via an online lottery.

The family has already announced that participants will include Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III.

Also taking part is Shaheen Jafargholi, a 12-year-old from Swansea, who came to prominence singing a Jackson song on the last series of Britain's Got Talent. The singer was reportedly enchanted by the boy's performance and had lined him up to take part in his ill-fated comeback concerts in London.

As Jackson's relatives left the family home this morning for the initial private service, Mr Bratton said that he had deployed an extra 1,400 officers for the occasion. “This is probably the largest event we’ve planned for since the 1984 Olympics,” he told CNN.

Although the event at the Staples Centre is limited to 20,000 ticket holders, authorities feared that as many as 250,000 people could flood the area just to soak up the atmosphere and glimpse the stars appearing in the service and have asked for fans to stay home and watch on TV.

“We have no idea how many people are going to show up here other than those who have the tickets inside the event inside of Staples,” Mr Bratton said. “We’re not anticipating disorderly crowds -- just anticipating very large crowds."

It was not just Los Angeles that was hit by Jacksonmania, however. The memorial show was to be rebroadcast live in theatres across the United States and fans around the world had made plans to say their own farewell to the singer.

In London, some fans planned to watch the event on a big screen outside the 02 Arena, where Jackson was to have performed 50 comeback shows starting next week. Others said they would watch at home after the BBC cleared the schedule on BBC Two.

The cast of West End tribute show Thriller Live planned to hold a minute’s silence before the curtain. The theatre said it would dim its lights in memory of the star.

media gear up to cover Michael Jackson's memorial service

2009-07-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

media gear up to cover Michael Jackson's memorial service

Just as in life, the King of Pop in death is poised to command nearly unprecedented media coverage.

Six days before he was to begin a 50-date comeback tour in London, Michael Jackson will instead be eulogized at a massive memorial service today at Staples Center. All the major networks and a host of cable news and entertainment channels, including CNN, MSNBC, E! Entertainment, TV Guide Network and TV One, plan to carry the event live at 10 a.m.

* MSNBC will begin its coverage at 8 a.m., with Chris Jansing anchoring. Fox News' Shepard Smith will anchor the day, beginning at 9 a.m. Meanwhile, CNN will start at 9 a.m. with Anderson Cooper, Larry King and Don Lemon as anchors. (CNN will carry the service on sister networks HLN, CNN International and CNN en Espanol as well.)

* On ABC, "Good Morning America" will air a special edition from Los Angeles and Charlie Gibson will anchor "Remembering Michael Jackson" with "Nightline" anchor Martin Bashir when the service begins. At 9 p.m., Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters will co-anchor a special edition of " 20/20," reporting on the highlights of the service. " Primetime: Family Secrets" at 10 p.m. will focus on Jackson's children.

* CBS' "The Early Show" will broadcast live from Staples, with Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith anchoring. Katie Couric will anchor the "CBS Evening News" at 6:30 p.m. and "48 Hours" at 10 p.m., both from Staples.

* NBC's "Today" will air a "split edition," with host Meredith Vieira in Los Angeles. Live coverage of the services, anchored by Brian Williams, will begin at 10 a.m. Williams also will anchor "Nightly News" from Staples Center. At 10 p.m., Lester Holt will anchor a special edition of "Dateline."

The event's ratings are expected to be record-breaking, according to television analysts. More than 1.6 million people registered over the weekend for a chance at one of 17,500 free tickets to the service and Jackson's death has dominated social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

For those without access to television, there are still options. KCRW-FM (89.9) will broadcast the event live and it will also be streamed online on several news sites, including latimes.com and www.hulu.com.

The service will also be seen in 88 movie theaters across 31 states, including Grauman's Chinese in Hollywood.

jackson fans prepare farewell to 'King of Pop'

2009-07-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

jackson fans prepare farewell to 'King of Pop'

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Hundreds of millions of fans around the world have been preparing to bid a poignant farewell to Michael Jackson, as Los Angeles goes into lockdown ahead of a star-studded memorial service.

Nearly two weeks after the death of the tragic "King of Pop," America is expected to grind to a standstill early Tuesday as the tortured music superstar is finally laid to rest.

Jackson's family and close friends are to attend a private funeral service for the iconic singer at 8:00 am (1500 GMT) at the picturesque Forest Lawn mortuary nestled in the Hollywood Hills above Los Angeles.

From there, attention will turn to a memorial being held at the 20,000-capacity Staples Center sports arena in the city's downtown.

A staggering 1.6 million people applied to win free tickets for the event allocated via an online lottery over the weekend.

Precise details of the service have been kept under wraps but organizers confirmed Monday that Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson are just a few of the stars due to participate.

An additional 1,400 police officers will be on duty to provide security, while city blocks surrounding the venue have been sealed off.

Organizers of the memorial, which gets underway at 10:00am (1700 GMT), have appealed to ticketless fans to watch the event on television, fearing chaos if hundreds of thousands take to the streets to mourn.

A live feed of the service is being made available free to television networks, while the event will also be streamed via social networking websites Facebook and MySpace, officials said.

Jackson's mysterious death from an apparent cardiac arrest at the age of 50 on June 25 sent shockwaves rippling around the world, triggering a global avalanche of tributes and grief.

Thousands of fans have continued to flock daily to Jackson's star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame" in Los Angeles, and a makeshift shrine of flowers, cards and toys has swamped the gates of the singer's Neverland Ranch.

Jackson sold more than 750 million albums during a glittering four-decade career that was ultimately overshadowed by repeated allegations of child abuse, his startling physical transformation and eccentric behavior.

While all eyes are on Jackson's memorial Tuesday, multiple law enforcement agencies are probing the circumstances of his death.

An autopsy was carried out on Jackson's body the day after his death, but the Los Angeles County Coroner's office has said it will not issue a final cause of death until the results of exhaustive toxicology tests are known in "several weeks."

Police investigators have meanwhile zeroed in on the possible role of drugs in Jackson's death.

Close friends and associates of the star have angrily alleged that Jackson was surrounded by a coterie of medical professionals willing to provide him with potent prescription medication.

US media, citing unidentified law enforcement sources, said investigators found the powerful sedative Propofol, also known as Diprivan, among a "mini-pharmacy" at Jackson's home.

The discovery has raised the stakes in the probe, which widened last week as the Los Angeles Police Department enlisted the support of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Propofol is commonly used in hospitals to induce unconsciousness in patients before major surgery. Healthcare experts say it should never be used at home and should only be administered by trained anesthesiologists.

Police have questioned Jackson's personal physician Conrad Murray but have stressed he is not suspected of criminal wrongdoing.

Lawyers meanwhile are busy untangling the labyrinth of legal issues that have emerged in the aftermath of Jackson's death.

On Monday, a Los Angeles judge replaced Jackson's mother as temporary administrator of his estate with two of the pop icon's business associates, as demanded by a 2002 will.

A hearing to discuss the fate of Jackson's children -- Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7 -- has been scheduled for July 13.

Jackson's will requested that his 79-year-old mother be appointed guardian, although speculation has built that the star's ex-wife and biological mother of the two eldest children, Debbie Rowe, may lodge a custody bid.

music stars lined up for jackson memorial

2009-07-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

music stars lined up for jackson memorial

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Some of the biggest names in pop music, from singers Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder to Motown records founder Berry Gordy, will take part in Michael Jackson's memorial on Tuesday, the family said.

In the first official details of the public memorial in the Staples Center arena in downtown Los Angeles, Jackson's family said singers Usher and Lionel Richie, civil rights leader Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and basketball stars Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant would also be among the participants.

The statement from the family said the list was preliminary, subject to change and that there would be no further information on the program. It was not clear whether singers like Carey and Wonder would perform at the event, which is expected to last two hours.

Lawyers for Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, said she had decided against attending because "her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction." Rowe has not decided whether to challenge the family for custody of Jackson's three children.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor, one of Jackson's closest friends, will also be absent. Taylor said in a Twitter message on Monday that she had been asked to speak but "I cannot be part of the public whoopla. And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word. I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others," she wrote.

While some 18,000 people will attend the memorial, police expect hundreds of thousands of fans to converge on the area. And officials estimate that beefed up public security and cleaning could cost the cash-strapped city up to $2.5 million.

About 1.6 million people registered to be among the 8,750 to receive two free tickets to the event. Successful fans lined up on Monday to collect their tickets, although some tried to auction their vouchers on websites like eBay and Craigslist.

Both websites were swiftly removing the listings, which carried asking prices of up to $10,000.

The "Thriller" singer, who died June 25 of cardiac arrest at age 50, is expected to be buried in a private family service in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, ahead of the public memorial.

MULTIMILLION DOLLAR ESTATE

As the family and lawyers attempted to sort out Jackson's complex business and personal affairs, a Los Angeles judge on Monday took temporary control of his estate away from the singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, and handed it to two men named as co-executors in the pop star's 2002 will.

Katherine Jackson, 79, had won temporary control of his estate last week before the will surfaced.

But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said "the law compels" that he now put lawyer John Branca and music industry executive John McClain in charge temporarily.

Beckloff set another court hearing for August 3 and said Branca and McClain must keep Katherine Jackson apprised of their dealings.

In the 2002 will, Jackson left his estate, valued at more than $500 million, to a trust benefiting his three children, his mother and charities.

"We are relatively pleased with Judge Beckloff's ruling this morning. He's taken the unusual step of requiring that Ms. Jackson be kept informed of the administration of his estate in this preliminary phase," said Burt Levitch, an attorney for Katherine Jackson.

A separate hearing over the guardianship of Michael Jackson's children has been postponed until July 13. In the meantime, Katherine Jackson has been named temporary guardian of Prince Michael Jackson Jr. 12, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11, and Prince Michael Joseph Jackson, II, 7.

An attorney for Branca and McClain said they would carry out the pop star's wishes and maximize his estate's value.

The value remains an open question. Although the 2002 will valued Michael Jackson's holdings at more than $500 million, the singer was reported to be as much as $500 million in debt when he died unexpectedly.

Jackson owned one-half of Sony-ATV, which controls a music catalog that includes songs from The Beatles and has been valued as high as $1 billion. Jackson also owned a company that controlled the rights to music he recorded during his solo career, and its value is expected to rise over time.

world will watch jackson memorial

2009-07-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

world will watch jackson memorial

Talk about event television: The mega-blowout to celebrate Michael Jackson's life and music is expected to draw some of the biggest daytime audiences stateside in decades and through-the-roof ratings in Europe, where the show will air live in primetime.

Whatever the questions surrounding the pop star's life (and death), Tuesday morning's memorial at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles is expected to draw especially high numbers among the younger demos, though it probably won't catapult into the pop pantheon of Charles and Diana's wedding almost 30 years ago or the global jukebox Live Aid concert of 1985.

The royal nuptials purportedly drew a colossal 750 million viewers to their TV sets; Live Aid attracted about 400 million.

As for more recent comparisons, the numbers could be in the same ballpark as the viewership for the inauguration of Barack Obama, which also unspooled in morning hours on multiple networks and attracted about 40 million U.S. viewers.

In Europe, the small-screen ratings performance should be particularly powerful.

"It's perfectly timed for us," BSkyB executive producer Tim Gallagher said. "We'll be beaming back a pre- and post-memorial analysis show as well as the main attraction, and we'll be airing across Europe as well as in the U.K. in high definition."

Britain's BBC, Germany's RTL, France's TF1, Australia's Nine and Japan's NHK will also field teams covering the memorial. Jackson was at least as popular abroad as he was in the U.S.

In Brazil, too, the coverage of the Jackson saga has been wall-to-wall, with lead broadcaster Globo reporting blockbuster ratings and planning blanket coverage Tuesday.

Fans and media from around the world have flown in to LAX to swell the local contingent likely to converge on the arena this morning, roadblocks be damned. Already on Monday afternoon there was a long line of fans waiting to sign the huge posters of the singer in the cordoned-off area around Staples.

"This is the kind of event on TV that just about everyone will tune in for, at least for a part of it, in order to be a part of it," one producer already positioned at Staples told THR. He said his company's preparations were similar to those made for a big soccer match or big awards show.

However, organizers have told broadcasters down at Staples that there will be no VIP red carpet line and that dignitaries and celebs will be spirited in and out of the building with no chance for interviews.

ABC has apparently commandeered the entire balcony of the Nokia Theatre adjacent to Staples for its coverage, while positions on special high-risers near the arena's entrance were reportedly going for $10,000 a pop to assorted well-heeled broadcasters.

Among the stars signed on to entertain those inside are Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Kobe Bryant, Smokey Robinson, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Hudson, Lionel Richie, Usher and John Mayer.

Spontaneous street parties are likely to pop up among the estimated 500,000 or so outside who also want to celebrate the life of the pop star.

Most of the major broadcast networks will cover the memorial live, as will the cable news nets and MTV, VH1, BET and TV One. The news networks will stream live coverage online, as will Hulu.

E! plans to cover the service and devote a full day of programming to Jackson. MTV will rebrand the channel "Michael Jackson Television" on Aug. 1, the cable network's 28th birthday.

But it's not just music lovers who will be glued to their screens watching the tributes to Jackson: Money lenders too will be assessing the level of fan fervor for signs of just how lucrative the pop star's estate is and just how widely his image, and his assets, can be exploited.

Almost certainly, revenue from memorabilia and what-not will be healthy enough to offset a half-billion dollars in known debts -- and then some. How much that sum eventually becomes can only be guessed at, but with scalped tickets to the memorial going for $5,000 on eBay and Craigslist, a sketch by Jackson of Mickey Mouse fetching $200,000, downloads of songs dominating the Internet sites and reissues and unreleased recordings all ripe for plucking, it's expected to be humongous.

And, like the Elvis, Marilyn or even Lucille Ball industries, it will go on for decades.

Not that the whole circus surrounding the King of Pop is new to Wall Street: A number of financial firms ponied up millions over the past two decades to help bankroll the singer's lavish lifestyle or kick-start his troubled career.

Now, the Street is in line with other creditors and business partners awaiting word on the state of Jackson's murky financial empire. Colony Capital, Fortress Investments and Barclays Bank poured tens of millions into the singer's coffers, the likes of which was spent on everything from paintings of cherubs by 19th century French artist Adolphe Bouguereau to costumes for Bubbles the chimpanzee.

The cash allowed Jackson, who went on buying binges at malls from Vegas to Dubai, to maintain an over-the-top lifestyle. (Colony, for example, bailed Jackson out of debt a few years ago by taking a majority stake in the Neverland range, and it helped fund the 50-date concert tour that Jackson was rehearsing for when he died June 25.)

"There's always been a nexus between the worlds of celebrity and finance, and it's only grown in recent years," Ian Peck, president of Art Capital Group, told the AP. His firm specializes in making loans to celebrities and rich clients who put up artwork as collateral.

Jackson's lenders seemed to get a kick out of having a big celebrity as a client despite his checkered finances and 2005 child molestation trial, Peck said. The pop star also benefited from the same credit boom that ensnared ordinary Americans and led to the financial meltdown.

"Today, I don't think he'd be able to obtain the same kinds of loans," Peck said.

free Jackson memorial tickets being sold

2009-07-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

free Jackson memorial tickets being sold

Free tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial in Los Angeles are being sold for thousands of dollars online.

Some 8,750 names were randomly drawn from an online lottery Sunday and each of those lucky fans has the opportunity to invite a friend with a second ticket.

Selected people are required to pick up their two tickets Monday and organizers will be putting wristbands on those people. Fans must have a wristband and ticket to enter the Staples Center for Tuesday's memorial.

However, those selected can give anyone their second bracelet.

"Theoretically, the second wrist band can be sold," said Staples Center spokesman Michael Roth.

The tickets admit 11,000 people to the Staples Center and another 6,500 to the Nokia Theater overflow section next door. Wristbands that are ripped or tampered with will be voided.

The event, starting at 10 a.m. PT, will be streamed online and also shown on at least five networks.

'Locked down and iron tight'

The winners of the lottery say they couldn't believe it when they got the confirmation emails late Sunday.

"It's Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musical stars of all time,' said computer science student David Gobaud, 25, from San Francisco.

Many are flying in for the memorial including Zach Moss, a Chicago DJ.

"You can play two, three Michael Jackson songs back to back, people are going to have this huge jubilation celebration," noted the 21-year-old fan.

L.A. councillor Dennis Zine, a former police officer, told CBC Newsworld that the city is well-prepared for the onslaught of grieving fans.

"We're anticipating thousands will show. This is unprecedented ... we have never seen anything like this before," said Zine.

"We are going to have this locked down and iron tight with additional personnel," said Zine, who indicated 10,000 officers will be assigned to the event in some way.

The cost, according to the councillor, is hitting $2 million US — something that worries city officials. Los Angeles is already millions in debt.

"We could deplete the overtime budget for the entire year with this."

thirteen applications per second for michael jackson memorial tickets

2009-07-06T02:49:00.000-07:00

thirteen applications per second for michael jackson memorial tickets

More than 1.2 million people had entered the global online lottery for the 17,500 available tickets 24 hours after the website for applications opened, organisers told The Daily Telegraph.

Applications are being received at a rate of around 50,000 per hour, or more than 800 per minute.

The registration website, which has occasionally crashed, has received more than four million individual hits, organisers said.

That contradicted an earlier statement by the Jackson family that the site had received 500 million hits in the first few hours.

There are fears touts may be using multiple e-mail addresses to register in the hope of re-selling the free tickets for huge sums.

Officials in Los Angeles have warned devotees of the "King of Pop" who do not get tickets to stay away from the city amid fears it will be swamped.

However, police are still preparing for anything up to 700,000 people turning up without tickets and trying to reach the venue.

The service is being held at the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles.

Large barricades have been erected around the arena to stop fans trying to storm the building.

Only 11,000 of the available tickets are for the service itself. The other 6,500 are for the Nokia Theatre nextdoor where fans will watch on three large screens.

A total of 8,750 winners will each receive two tickets. They will be informed on Sunday by email how to collect them.

The service will be broadcast live on television and the internet and is expected to attract a global audience of hundreds of millions.

A private ceremony for the family before the public memorial. There will be no funeral procession.

jackson family seeks delay in naming will executor

2009-07-06T02:47:00.000-07:00

jackson family seeks delay in naming will executor

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's family wants a judge to delay a hearing Monday to designate two men listed in the pop superstar's will as temporary administrators of his estate so that they can look deeper into his affairs, a person close to the family said.

The family also wants the additional time to wait and see if another will emerges, as well as to accommodate Jackson's memorial service Tuesday, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly.

The person said Sunday that the family wants the delay in naming two men, attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, who are designated in a five-page will filed Wednesday as administrators to shepherd Jackson's estate into a private trust.

Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, was granted some limited powers over the singer's estate days after his death. But because Branca and McClain are named as executors in the 2002 will, it's expected that they would be granted more authority to oversee Jackson's estate, estimated in court filings as being worth more than $500 million, in Monday's scheduled hearing.

Jackson's mother and those close to her want "time to further investigate the circumstances and individuals that were surrounding Michael Jackson during his final days," the person close to the family said.

In court filings, attorneys for Katherine Jackson ask Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff to delay naming Branca and McClain as the estate's administrators. Attorneys for the two men argue their appointment is crucial to controlling Jackson's diverse financial interests and its liabilities, which include refunds due on a series of London concerts that have been canceled, and several lawsuits.

The person close to the Jackson family said late Sunday that Katherine Jackson also wants the delay to see if any, newer wills emerge. An older will had already been presented, the person said.

"She wants to know what happened to her son before appointing individuals to take over his estate worth over a billion dollars," the person said.

In court filings, Katherine Jackson's attorneys state it would be "premature" to contest the 2002 will, but they also note that several wills may have been filed. The 2002 will stated that Jackson wanted his three children entrusted to his mother, Katherine, who has been named a temporary guardian until July 13.

Attorneys for Branca and McClain said last week they do not expect any other wills to emerge.

Monday's hearing will be crucial in deciding who takes control of Jackson's financial empire, which includes an estimated $400 million in debt. A judge on Thursday delayed a hearing on who should have custody of Jackson's three children, making Monday's hearing entirely about the singer's fortune.

"This is going to be a very important hearing in the sense of giving the public an indication of where the case is heading and what the judge is thinking about," said Lawrence Heller, an estate planning attorney for the Santa Monica, Calif., office of the firm Bryan Cave LLP.

Jackson's memorial service was planned for Tuesday, a day after the hearing over his financial affairs. Thousands of fans were expected to attend the service in Los Angeles, even though more than 1.6 million people registered to win the coveted free tickets.

Downtown hotels were quickly filling Monday and police warned those without tickets to the memorial to stay away. There was no funeral procession planned and the service will not be shown on outdoor screens.

Last week, Katherine Jackson was given authority over some of her son's possessions, including items taken from his Neverland Ranch that were slated for auction earlier this year, but not his finances. She had sought to control Jackson's finances and the estate of his children, but that was before Branca and McClain filed the will.

Beckloff, perhaps sensing a rift between the two sides, urged attorneys for Katherine Jackson and the two men to meet before Monday's hearing and try to reach a compromise.

No agreement between the two sides had been announced as of Sunday. Katherine Jackson's temporary control of the Neverland items expires Monday.

Experts say the Branca and McClain have an upper hand going into Monday's court hearing because they were designated by Jackson. In Branca's case, he helped organize one of the singer's smartest financial moves — acquiring a stake in the Sony-ATV Music Publishing Catalog, which includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers.

Branca also helped Jackson acquire the rights to his own master recordings, which include ample material for new music to be released posthumously.

Gaining even temporary control of Jackson's estate is key, attorneys for Branca and McClain argue in court filings, because they can begin tapping into the singer's earning potential by licensing "records, music, TV, publishing, pay-per-view, theatrical" properties.

Attorney Jeryll S. Cohen told Beckloff on Wednesday that the men also could minimize the loss of an estimated $85 million in ticket refunds required for Jackson's canceled London concerts. Randy Phillips, president and CEO of concert promoter AEG Live, said Thursday that the company has ample material for a possible movie, live album and other media that will likely allow them to break even on their Jackson investment.

A temporary administrator would also have the power to take over numerous lawsuits pending against Jackson, including a $44 million federal claim filed by former publicist Raymone Bain, two lawsuits filed by "Thriller" director John Landis, and another one filed by "Thriller" co-star Ola Ray.

Temporary administrators would also control 2,000 items taken from Neverland Ranch that were slated for an auction halted by the singer this year. The items, which include awards, clothing and numerous other unique items taken from Jackson's former home, were expected to fetch at least $12 million.

jackson fans prepare farewell to 'King of Pop'

2009-07-05T04:42:00.000-07:00

jackson fans prepare farewell to 'King of Pop'

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Hundreds of millions of fans across the world will bid a final farewell to Michael Jackson on Tuesday in a lavish memorial to the tragic "King of Pop" expected to bring America to a standstill.

An exclusive guest list of family and VIPs will be joined by around 11,000 fans crowded into the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the send-off, which Jackson once said he hoped would be "the greatest show on earth."

Precise details of the service have been kept under wraps, but amid speculation that some of the biggest names in showbusiness may perform in an event intended as a celebration of the tortured pop icon's life and times.

Jackson's mysterious death from an apparent cardiac arrest at the age of 50 on June 25 sent shockwaves rippling around the world, triggering an avalanche of tributes from Beverly Hills to Beijing.

Thousands of fans continue to flock to Jackson's star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame" in Los Angeles while a makeshift shrine of flowers, cards and toys has steadily grown outside the gates of the singer's Neverland Ranch.

Jackson's family has not revealed where the singer will be buried.

The musical clan earlier quashed the idea of a poignant ceremony at Neverland Ranch, which posed logistical headaches due to its remote location in ritzy Santa Barbara wine country.

However, Jackson's elder brother Jermaine said he would still like the pop legend to be buried at the estate, a tribute to Jackson's fascination with childhood that in its heyday boasted giraffes, tigers and a private amusement park.

"I feel his presence because this is his creation," Jackson said Thursday. "This is where he should be rested because it's him."

Organizers of Tuesday's memorial, which gets underway at 10:00am (1700 GMT), have appealed to ticketless fans to watch the event on television, fearing chaos if hundreds of thousands take to the streets to mourn.

Some 1.6 million applied online for only 11,000 tickets to attend the tribute at the Staples Center and another 6,500 for seats at a neighboring venue where giant screens will show the event live.

A website set up to manage an online lottery of the available tickets received more than half a billion hits within two hours on Friday, reflecting the huge interest in the event.

"Potentially, this could be enormous," said Robert Thompson, an expert in pop culture at Syracuse University in New York. "Everything that has to do with Michael Jackson was done huge, super-sized."

While all eyes turn to Jackson's memorial, multiple law enforcement agencies are continuing to probe the circumstances of his death while an army of lawyers prepare to tussle over the fate of his estate and children.

An autopsy on Jackson's body was carried out on June 26 but the Los Angeles County Coroner's office has said it will not issue a final cause of death until the results of exhaustive toxicology tests are known in "several weeks."

Police investigators have meanwhile zeroed in on the possible role of drugs in Jackson's death.

Close friends and associates of the star have angrily alleged that Jackson was surrounded by a coterie of medical professionals willing to provide him with potent prescription medication.

US media reports citing unidentified law enforcement sources say investigators found the powerful sedative Propofol, also known as Diprivan, amongst a variety of prescription medications at Jackson's home.

The discovery has raised the stakes in the probe, which widened last week as the Los Angeles Police Department enlisted the support of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Police have questioned Jackson's personal physician Conrad Murray but have stressed he is not suspected of criminal wrongdoing.

As the investigation into Jackson's death deepens, lawyers are preparing to head to court next week to tussle over his legacy.

Jackson's 79-year-old mother Katherine was placed in temporary control of her son's assets last week and appointed guardian of the singer's three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11 and Prince Michael II, 7.

A 2002 will filed in Los Angeles Superior Court last week named Katherine Jackson as guardian but the singer's ex-wife Debbie Rowe indicated she planned to seek custody of the children. A custody hearing scheduled for July 6 has now been reset for July 13.

On Monday, the two men named as executors of Jackson's are scheduled to appear in court with lawyers for the star's family in the first full hearing on the star's assets, reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

A lawyer for the Jackson family has not said whether the clan intends to contest the will.

1.6 million seek tickets to jackson memorial

2009-07-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

1.6 million seek tickets to Jackson memorial

Successful applicants will be notified by e-mail. There are 17,500 tickets for the service at Staples Center and a simulcast at the Nokia Theatre.

About 1.6 million people have registered for a chance at 17,500 free tickets to Tuesday's memorial service for Michael Jackson at Staples Center and a nearby simulcast, officials at AEG, owner of the arena, said Saturday.

Registration began at 10 a.m. Friday and ended at 6 p.m. Saturday. Those chosen will be notified by e-mail between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. today. Each of the 8,750 people selected will get an exclusive code and instructions on how to obtain two free tickets Monday.

AEG officials said 11,000 tickets will be for admission to the Staples Center service. The remaining 6,500 will be for the neighboring Nokia Theatre, where the memorial will be simulcast on big screens.

The random selection will be done by computer after the entries are "scrubbed" to eliminate duplicates and those submitted by automatic entry systems. Only people with a valid ticket and an unaltered wristband will be allowed in. No official program for the service has been announced.

court fight looms over michael jackson’s kids

2009-07-04T22:29:00.001-07:00

court fight looms over michael jackson’s kids

Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe won a court delay last week that will give her time to mount a custody battle for her two children against Jackson’s mother.

It’s a fight one local legal expert said Rowe has a good chance of winning despite Jackson’s will, which states the children should be raised by the King of Pop’s mom, Katherine Jackson.

“You cannot pass on your children like a stamp collection or a stock portfolio,” said Suffolk University law professor Erik Pritchal. “While the parent’s choice carries some weight, the court makes the final decision based on what is best for the children at the time of death - which may be different than how it looked to the parent at the time he wrote the will.”

Rowe has not yet stated publicly that she intends to fight to win custody of the children. However, last week a guardianship hearing was delayed until July 13 at Rowe’s request. Jackson has two children with Rowe: Michael Joseph “Prince” Jr., 12, and Paris Michael Katherine, 11. He has a third child Prince Michael “Blanket” Jackson II, 7, with an as yet unidentified woman.

Katherine Jackson won temporary guardianship of all three children after the pop star’s death, and the singer stipulated she raise them if he died. However, Pritchal said Rowe has a nearly insurmountable legal claim to her children.

“California law is very clear that when there are two parents with legal rights, and the custodial parent dies, the children can only go to the person named in the custodial parent’s will if the surviving parent consents,” he said. “The reality is that she is the mother and she is the only legal parent they have.”

Should Rowe go to court, Pritchal said, her argument would be boosted by Katherine Jackson’s advanced age. He said the court will definitely consider whether a 79-year-old can properly care for the three children. Nonetheless, Pritchal said don’t count her out entirely. She has one slim chance of keeping the children.

“The only way a nonparent such as Katherine Jackson can take custody away from a parent is to prove that Katherine herself has played the role of parent for the children - providing day-to-day care - for a substantial period of time, and that it would be detrimental to send the kids to the mother,” Pritchal said.

As for little Blanket, Pritchal said Katherine Jackson likely will gain custody, unless the child’s real mother steps forward.

michael jackson's last dance rehearsal

2009-07-04T03:08:00.000-07:00

michael jackson's last dance rehearsal

Footage of Michael Jackson performing some of his most famous hits for the final time has been released.

The King of Pop looked well and his voice sounded strong as he danced around the stage in typical fashion during rehearsals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The star was preparing for his 50-night residency at London's O2 arena, which had been set to begin later this month.

Jackson died on June 25 after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest - just two days after the video was shot.

Jackson's friend, Uri Geller, said tonight the footage raised a 'big question' about what prompted the star's dramatic demise.

'The question is: What happened from that point to the day that he died?' said Geller.

'In the photographs I've seen, he looked in shape, he was smiling, he was happy.

'What happened? That's the big question.'

Kevin Mazur, 48, the photographer who captured some of Jackson's final moments on camera at the rehearsals, said the star appeared to be back to his best and had an 'incredible energy'.

Mr Mazur, co-founder of WireImage agency, told the Daily Mirror: 'When he hit that stage, everyone was just mesmerised.'

The photographer said Jackson was happy and joking with the dancers as he rehearsed.

Mr Mazur told the newspaper Jackson performed his set for 90 minutes until nearly midnight on June 23.

'He was totally there - 100 per cent there in fact,' said Mr Mazur. 'You would never suspect this would have ever happened - especially after his performance on stage.'

Meanwhile, it emerged today that America's anti-drugs agency had launched an investigation into Jackson's death.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was called in by Los Angeles police to assist as they probe allegations the star was on powerful painkillers, sedatives and anti-depressants, sources close to the investigation said.

The agency has vast experience in dealing with drug abuse and could evaluate the potential role of illegal drug manufacturers known as pill mills.

Jermaine Jackson said he would be 'hurt' if toxicology reports showed his brother had abused prescription drugs.

He told NBC he did not know of any drug abuse by the 50-year-old.

But he added: 'In this business, the pressure and things that you go through, you never know what one turns to.'

Plans for Jackson's funeral were still being worked on today, with fans still waiting to hear if and where a public memorial would take place.

Brother Jermaine said he believed Neverland - the singer's vast estate in Santa Barbara, California - should be Jackson's final resting place.

powerful sedative found in michael jackson's home

2009-07-04T03:03:00.001-07:00

powerful sedative found in michael jackson's home

The powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's home, a law enforcement official said Friday as the city planned for a massive crowd at the singer's memorial service.
Diprivan is an anesthetic widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. Also known as Propofol, it's given intravenously and is very unusual to have in a private home.
The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the matter.
A Los Angeles Police spokesman, Lt. John Romero, declined to discuss the case. "It's an ongoing investigation," he said.
The cause of Jackson's death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.
At the downtown Staples Center, where Jackson's memorial will be held Tuesday morning, Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger said anywhere from 250,000 to 700,000 people could try to reach the arena, even though only 17,500 tickets will be available.
City Councilwoman Jan Perry urged people to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. There will not be a funeral procession through the city.
Tickets to Jackson's memorial service will be free. They can be obtained by registering at Staplescenter.com. There will be 11,000 tickets for seats inside Staples Center and 6,500 for seats in the adjacent Nokia Theatre, where fans can watch a simulcast. On Saturday night, 8,750 names will be randomly selected to receive two tickets each.
No details about the memorial service itself were released.
Jackson was known to have suffered from severe insomnia. In the weeks before his death, Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who was working with the singer, said Jackson pleaded for Diprivan amid the stress of preparing for a massive series of comeback concerts.
Lee said she repeatedly rejected his demands because the drug was unsafe.
Told Friday that Diprivan had been found at Jackson's house, she said, "I did everything I could to warn him against it."
Jackson had trouble sleeping as far back as 1989, said one of his former publicists, Rob Goldstone, who spent a month on the road with Jackson during the "Bad" tour.
"He had very bad nightmares, he found it very difficult to sleep," Goldstone said.
Diprivan, which has a milky appearance, is sometimes nicknamed "milk of amnesia." Last fall, doctors from the Mayo Clinic warned at a conference that in rare cases, Diprivan can trigger an irreversible chain of events leading to heart dysfunction and death.
They said three patients receiving Diprivan to treat severe seizures had suffered cardiac arrest, and two died. The doctors said the clinic stopped using Diprivan to treat such patients because of the danger.
The drug's manufacturer, AstraZeneca PLC, warns that patients using Diprivan should be continuously monitored, and in a tiny number of cases patients using it have suffered cardiac arrest, although it was not clear the drug was to blame.
Authorities are investigating allegations that the 50-year-old Jackson had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. Any criminal charges would depend on whether Jackson had been overly prescribed medications, given drugs inappropriate for his needs, or if doctors knowingly prescribed Jackson medications under an assumed name.
Edward Chernoff, an attorney for Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, said Friday through a spokeswoman that he had agreed with investigators not to comment until information is released through official channels. Murray was in Jackson's rented mansion when the singer went into cardiac arrest in his bedroom on June 25.
Murray has spoken to police and authorities say he is not a suspect. In an earlier interview, Chernoff said Murray never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or OxyContin, and denied reports suggesting that the doctor gave the pop star drugs that contributed to his death.
Chernoff would not discuss what drugs the doctor administered to Jackson, but said they would have been prescribed in response to a specific complaint.

michael jackson funeral tickets

2009-07-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

michael jackson funeral tickets

Michael Jackson funeral tickets are now on sale! The tickets cost $25 and it will take place on July 7h, 10:00AM at Staples Center. This place is the same place in which Michael rehearsed his show the night before he died, and there are 20,000 seats.
Service will be held between 10am and noon. To the funeral will also attend family and friends who will be seated on the front row. Details on the Michael Jackson burial are also clear now, his body will be buried at the Forest Lawn cemetery on Hollywood Hills.
A spokesman of the family said to clear up rumours:
“Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland,”

The Michael Jackson memorial will now be taking place at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles, June 7th 2009. Tickets are going for $25 and there will be two sessions, one at 10AM and the other at 12PM. VIP’s including Michael’s family and friends will also attend, occupying the floor seats.

michael jackson last will

2009-07-04T02:58:00.000-07:00

michael jackson last will

Michael Jackson's will sets family trust, funeral sketchy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A will signed by Michael Jackson putting his multimillion-dollar estate in a trust for his children and mother was filed in court on Wednesday, as details of his highly-anticipated funeral remained sketchy. Some media outlets reported a memorial service would take place this coming Tuesday at Los Angeles' Staples Center arena and others pointed to the city's Coliseum sports stadium, but a spokesman for Jackson's family could not confirm those reports nor could officials with the venues.
David Carradine died of asphyxiation: pathologist
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The medical examiner who oversaw a private autopsy on David Carradine said on Wednesday that the "Kung Fu" star died from asphyxiation and the way the actor's body was bound allowed him to rule out suicide. Carradine was found hanging in the closet of his Bangkok hotel suite on June 4 and his family hired New York-based forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden to conduct a follow-up death investigation to the one handled by Thai authorities.
Hipster factor poses challenges for movie marketers
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Batten down the hatches -- the hipsters are coming. Even as Hollywood studios increasingly aim at the broadest possible audience, a few companies are experimenting with the opposite approach in these summer months and beyond: They're making smart, quirky movies for a sophisticated young audience.
"Transformers" looks unstoppable at box office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The 'bots are still on the trot. The mega-successful bow last week by Paramount's action sequel "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has so transformed the competitive box-office landscape, it's hard to see either of two rival movies opening at No. 1 this weekend.
O'Neal leads mourners at Farrah Fawcett funeral
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Ryan O'Neal led friends and family in a private funeral service on Tuesday for actress Farrah Fawcett, who died last week aged 62 after a long and public battle with cancer. O'Neal, the long-time companion of the "Charlie's Angels" star, was one of the pall-bearers and gave a reading at the service at Los Angeles Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Kevin Jonas, of Jonas Brothers, engaged
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kevin Jonas, the eldest member of the teen heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers, may soon be able to shed his purity ring as Wednesday People magazine reported the 21-year-old pop star is now engaged. Danielle Deleasa, a 22-year-old former hairdresser who Jonas met two years ago in the Bahamas, quickly said yes to his proposal, but the two have not set a wedding date yet.
Oscar winning actor Karl Malden dies at 97
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar winner Karl Malden, the bulbous-nosed character actor acclaimed for film roles in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On the Waterfront" before gaining TV fame as a leading man in "The Streets of San Francisco," died on Wednesday at age 97. Also remembered as the commercial spokesman for American Express travelers checks, sternly warning tourists, "Don't leave home without them," Malden died in his sleep at his Los Angeles-area home, according to his longtime agent, Budd Moss. He said the actor had been in failing health in recent years.
UK comedy actress Mollie Sugden dies at 86
LONDON (Reuters) - British actress Mollie Sugden, best-known for her role as Mrs Slocombe in the television comedy series "Are You Being Served?," has died at the age of 86. Her agent Joan Reddin told newspapers Sugden died on Wednesday after a long illness. "She was a lovely, lovely person. She was a great professional," Reddin said.
Jolie, Aniston are Hollywood's top-earning actresses
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Angelina Jolie is Hollywood's top earning actress, banking $27 million in the past year to beat out her partner Brad Pitt's ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, who raked in $25 million, a Forbes.com study showed on Wednesday. Most of Jolie's income came from her share of the profits from her action film "Wanted," but she was also paid a large upfront sum for her role in "Salt," the study said. Jolie and Pitt have six children.
Neverland could rival Graceland as tour attraction
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Abandoned by Michael Jackson after a humiliating child molestation trial in 2005, the late singer's Neverland Ranch could now become one of the biggest draws in the world as a memorial to the King of Pop. Jackson's family has said there are no plans for a funeral or burial of his body at the ranch in central California after his death last week.

AP Exclusive: Insomniac Jackson begged for drug

2009-07-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

AP Exclusive: Insomniac Jackson begged for drug

Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said Tuesday that she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously.
But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, Lee said.
While in Florida on June 21, Lee was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff.
"He called and was very frantic and said, `Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said.
"I said, `Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away."
"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out."
Jackson did not go to the hospital. He died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest, his family said. Autopsies have been conducted, but an official cause of death is not expected for several weeks.
"I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug," Lee said.
Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use.
"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."
Jackson was rehearsing hard for what would have been his big comeback — his "This Is It" tour, a series of performances that would have strained his aging dancer's body. Also, pain had been a part of his life since 1984, when his scalp was severely burned during a Pepsi commercial shoot.
"The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno, who's been working out with Jackson for the past several months, said Jackson was focused on health.
"When he was with me, he wasn't different. He wasn't stoned. He wasn't high. He wasn't being aloof or speedy. Never talked about drugs," Ferrigno said. "I've never seen him take drugs. He was always talking about nutrition."
Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, Lee said. It is an intravenous anesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. It is generally given through an IV needle in the hand.
Patients given Propofol take less time to regain consciousness than those administered certain other drugs, and they report waking up more clear-headed and refreshed, said University of Chicago psychopharmacologist James Zacny.
It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to "chill out" or to commit suicide, Zacny said. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it doesn't take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person's breathing.
An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest, said Dr. John Dombrowski, a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Because it is given intravenously and is not the kind of prescription drug typically available from pharmacists, abuse cases have involved anesthesiologists, nurses and other hospital staffers with easy access to the drug, Zacny said.
In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it.
"I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want," Lee said Jackson told her.
"I said, 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' — and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago — 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up," she recalled.
According to Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he didn't want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved.
Londell McMillan, attorney for Katherine and Joe Jackson, talked about Lee's disclosures Tuesday on CNN.
"It's a hearsay comment. It would be inadmissible anywhere in a court of law," he said. "I also wonder why anyone would make a comment about something that they don't have much knowledge about. They didn't see the drug administered. It's again because of the Michael Jackson factor."
Lee said the singer drew his own distinctions when it came to drugs versus prescription medicine.
"He said, `I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine,'" Lee said. The next day, she said she brought a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference to show him the section on Diprivan.
"He said, 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe as long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up. It's going be OK,'" Lee said. She said he did not give the doctor's name.
Lee said at one point, she spent the night with Jackson to monitor him while he slept. She said she gave him herbal remedies and stayed in a corner chair in his vast bedroom.
After he settled in bed, Lee told Jackson to turn down the lights and music — he had classical music playing in the house. "He also had a computer on the bed because he loved Walt Disney," she said. "He was watching Donald Duck and it was ongoing. I said, `Maybe if we put on softer music,' and he said, `No, this is how I go to sleep.'"
Three and a half hours later, Jackson jumped up and looked at Lee, eyes wide open, according to Lee. "This is what happens to me," she quoted him as saying. "All I want is to be able to sleep. I want to be able to sleep eight hours. I know I'll feel better the next day."
Lee, 56, is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in California, according to the state Board of Registered Nursing's Web site. She attended Los Angeles Southwest College and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Sciences in Los Angeles.
Comedian Dick Gregory, who knows Lee and her work, said he believes Jackson's insomnia had its roots in the pop star's 2005 trial on child molestation charges. Jackson's health had deteriorated so much that his parents called Gregory, a natural foods proponent, for help.
Gregory said Jackson wasn't eating or drinking at the time and, after he was persuaded by Gregory to undergo testing, ended up hospitalized for severe dehydration.
But Jackson obviously was healthy enough to withstand the level of medical scrutiny needed to insure him for the upcoming high-stakes London concerts, Gregory said. "That you don't trick," he said of the exams.
Lee, who has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Marla Gibbs, Reynaldo Rey and other celebrities, said she was introduced to Jackson by the mother of one of his staff members. Jackson's three children had minor cold symptoms and their pediatrician was out of town.
Lee said she went to the house in January, the first of about 10 visits there through April, and treated the children with vitamins. Michael, intrigued, asked what else she did and took her up on her claim she could boost his energy.
After running blood tests, she devised protein shakes for him and gave him an intravenous vitamin and mineral mixture — known as a "Myers cocktail," after Dr. John Myers — which Lee said she uses routinely in her practice.
"It wasn't that he felt sick," she said. "He just wanted more energy."
Lee said she decided to speak out to protect Jackson's reputation from what she considers unfounded allegations of drug abuse or shortcomings as a parent.
"I think it's so wrong for people to say these things about him," she said. "He was a wonderful, loving father who wanted the best for his children."

michael jackson kids not his

2009-07-04T02:51:00.000-07:00

michael jackson kids not his

Poor Michael Jackson, he hasn’t even been laid to rest and already people are coming out from under the rocks, seemingly breaking their confidentiality agreements, and spilling the beans on what “really” happened. All of it, of course, is merely speculation at this point.

The almighty “sources” close to Michael Jackson are saying that not only is Michael Jackson not the biological father of his three children, Debbie Rowe isn’t even the biological mother of the two oldest kids. And on top of that, Michael never actually legally adopted the children – as he would’ve had to do were he not the biological father.

Us Weekly is insisting that the father of Michael and Paris is Jackson’s dermatologist, Arnold Klein. Apparently, he is also Rowe’s former employer. “He and Debbie signed an agreement saying they would never reveal the truth,” said a source.

Debbie Rowe’s attorney today released a statement contradicting the claims that Debbie Rowe is not the biological mother of Michael Jackson’s first two children.

“We refuse to be drawn into addressing the various rumors and speculation swirling in the media,” said Rowe’s attorney Marta Almli. “The vast majority of what is out there is untrue. Particular hurtful and insidious is the most recent rumor — which is entirely false — concerning the maternity of the children. Ms. Rowe is the biological mother of the two oldest children.”

As for Michael Jackson’s will, it’s be reported that there is a Jackson will from 2002 that leaves everything to his children, his mother Katherine, and various charities. Michael Jackson’s father Joe Jackson allegedly was not mentioned.

michael jackson autopsy leaked

2009-07-04T02:47:00.000-07:00

michael jackson autopsy leaked

The leaked resultsof Michael Jackson's autopsy are truly shocking. Jackson was emaciated, bald, covered in scars and dotted with needle tracks.

As The Sun reports from London on the results of Michael Jackson's autopsy: THE horrifying state of pop superstar Michael Jackson in his final days can be revealed by The Sun today. Harrowing leaked autopsy details show the singer was a virtual skeleton — barely eating and with only pills in his stomach at the time he died. His hips, thighs and shoulders were riddled with needle wounds — believed to be the result of injections of narcotic painkillers, given three times a day for years. And a mass of surgery scars were thought to be the legacy of at least 13 cosmetic operations.

More than just this, the autopsy report that has been leaked showed that the bridge to his nose had vanished and the right side of it collapsed. What is truly odd though is that despite being in this state Jackson had been recovering well from skin cancer, the operation to deal with that seems to have worked.

Other British newspapers have carried more of the story about the results of the autopsy on Jackson:

Michael Jackson was emaciated, virtually bald, covered in needle scars and had only pills in his stomach when he died, according to an autopsy report.

There has to be thought that some of those around him, some of his entourage, were if not encouraging him in this behavior, at least enabling him. Michael Jackson was 5 foot 10 inches tall but at the time of his death weighed only 112 pounds: that just isn't healthy at all. The only things in his stomach were partially dissolved plls and he had lost nearly all his hair, having nothing but a "peach fuzz" left. What we saw in public was a wig.

And as that autposy report shows, Michael Jackson had been receiving pain killing injections for some time:

His hips, thighs and shoulders were pock-marked with needle wounds, believed to be the legacy of narcotic painkillers being injected three times a day.

If these injections were indeed Demerol then this bolsters the possibility that he died of an overdose: for those who have built up tolerance to the drug the gap between a pain relieving dose and a fatal dose is very small. And if that is true then the possibility that Michael Jackson could have been saved rises once again.

The conclusion of these leaks from Jackson's autopsy seems to be that:

Sources close to the Jackson camp said fans would be shocked by the autopsy findings. 'He was skin and bone, his hair had fallen out and had been eating nothing but pills when he died,' one source told the newspaper. 'Injection marks all over his body and the disfigurement caused by years of plastic surgery show he’d been in terminal decline for years.' 'His doctors and the hangers-on stood by as he self-destructed. Somebody is going to have to pay.'

Sadly this seems unlikely. Jackson's records are heading to the top of the charts again all over the world. The entourage will be able to absorb the cash inflow from that but without Michael Jackson to spend the money faster than it comes in. Far from their paying, it looks like they'll profit.

michael jackson sperm donor

2009-07-04T02:43:00.000-07:00

michael jackson sperm donor

News of the World reports Michael Jackson’s claim he is the natural father of the two children born to ex-wife Debbie Rowe is a lie. Instead, Rowe was artificially inseminated with anonymously donated sperm to give birth to son Prince Michael Jnr and daughter Paris. Secret documents have been drawn up by Rowe making the claim as she prepares to seek “temporary exclusive custody” of the children. Debbie states: “I have no information whatsoever about the identity of the semen donor for either child, as such semen was obtained anonymously from a semen bank under an agreement of confidentiality. I consented to the artificial insemination with the specific intent of bearing a child to which Michael would be the father and treated in all respects as the father.” Rowe, who along with the children are Jewish, now worries that Jackson is “easily influenced” and she fears he is being led by extremist Muslims in the Nation of Islam movement.

michael jackson autopsy results

2009-07-04T02:40:00.000-07:00

michael jackson autopsy results

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Doctors completed an autopsy on the body of Michael Jackson on Friday but said they could not immediately establish a cause of death for the "King of Pop" as speculation centered on his use of prescription painkillers.

"The cause of death has been deferred, which means that the medical examiner has ordered additional testing such as toxicology and other studies," Los Angeles County Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said.

"Those tests we anticipate will take an additional four to six weeks."

Speaking to a throng of reporters outside the coroner's office, Harvey said, "There was no indication of any external trauma or indication of foul play to the body of Mr. Jackson."

He said his office expected to determine what killed Jackson, 50, when the tests were complete.

The body would be released to family members after they chose a mortuary to handle the funeral arrangements, Harvey added.

Celebrity website TMZ.com, citing an interview with an unidentified "close member" of the Jackson family, reported the superstar singer was injected with Demerol about half an hour before he went into cardiac arrest.

'HE'S NOT RESPONDING'

Police searched Jackson's rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles and planned to interview his personal physician, who was with the entertainer at the time of his death.

TMZ, citing family members, said Jackson received a daily injection of Demerol, a narcotic painkiller. The family believes his death was caused by an overdose of the drug, TMZ reported.

An unidentified man called a 911 emergency phone line from the mansion at 12:21 p.m. local time, saying Jackson was unconscious and not breathing.

In excerpts from the call played on television, the man said the doctor was the only other person present and was performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the unconscious Jackson without results.

"He's pumping, he's pumping his chest but he's not responding to anything, sir, please," the caller said.

A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that Jackson was "heavily addicted" to the painkiller Oxycontin and was injected daily with that medication, along with Demerol.

Lawyer Brian Oxman, a Jackson family spokesman, told CBS' "The Early Show" he had been concerned about the prescription drugs Jackson took due to injuries suffered while performing.

"I do not want to point fingers at anyone because I want to hear what the toxicology report says and the coroner says but the plain fact of the matter is that Michael Jackson had prescription drugs at his disposal at all times," Oxman said.

WORLDWIDE HEADLINES

Fans and fellow pop stars everywhere revived memories of Jackson's musical genius, tarnished over the past decade by accusations of child molestation and eccentric behavior.

U.S. President Barack Obama called Jackson a "spectacular performer" but said he believed aspects of his life were "sad and tragic," the White House said.

Jackson's death was front-page news around the world as airwaves filled with his greatest hits from "Thriller" to "Billie Jean" and social networking sites were bombarded with messages and tributes.

"My heart, my mind are broken," actress Elizabeth Taylor, long a close friend of Jackson, said in a statement.

"He will be in my heart forever but it's not enough," Taylor said. "My life feels so empty. I don't think anyone knew how much we loved each other."

On Hollywood Boulevard, police put up barricades to control thousands of fans who filed past Jackson's star on the Walk of Fame to honor the child prodigy who became one of the top singers of all time with an estimated 750 million albums sold.

Jackson's family has yet to announce details of a funeral.

Facing a battered reputation and a mountain of debt that The Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson spent the last two months rehearsing for a series of London concerts, including Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Despite reports of Jackson's ill health, the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson passed a 4 1/2-hour physical examination with independent doctors.

In death, Jackson's music enjoyed an immediate rebound that eluded him for years. His songs surged to the top 15 on online retailer Amazon.com's best-selling albums within hours.

He dominated the charts in the 1980s and was one of the most successful entertainers, with 13 Grammy Awards and several seminal music videos. His 1982 album "Thriller" yielded seven top-10 singles. [nN26308702]

But he was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He was acquitted of all charges in a four-month trial in 2005.

In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, which ended in divorce in 1996. He remarried and had two children, later split with his second wife, and had a third child with an unnamed surrogate mother.

michael jackson music online

2009-07-04T02:35:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson's life was infused with fantasy and tragedy

He owned a statue of Marilyn, studied Chaplin and married Elvis' daughter. It seemed the perennial man-child would cease to exist if the applause ever stopped.

Michael Jackson was fascinated by celebrity tragedy. He had a statue of Marilyn Monroe in his home and studied the sad Hollywood exile of Charlie Chaplin. He married the daughter of Elvis Presley.

Jackson met his own untimely death Thursday at age 50, and more than any of those past icons, he left a complicated legacy. As a child star, he

was so talented he seemed lit from within; as a middle-aged man, he was viewed as something akin to a visiting alien who, like Tinkerbell, would cease to exist if the applause ever stopped.

It was impossible in the early 1980s to imagine the surreal final chapters of Jackson's life. In that decade, he became the world's most popular entertainer thanks to a series of hit records -- “Beat It,” "Billie Jean," “Thriller” -- and dazzling music videos. Perhaps the best dancer of his generation, he created his own iconography: the single shiny glove, the Moonwalk, the signature red jacket and the Neverland Ranch.

In recent years, he inspired fascination for reasons that had nothing to do with music. Years of plastic surgery had made his face a bizarre landscape. He was deeply in debt and had lost his way as a musician. He had not toured since 1997 or released new songs since 2001. Instead of music videos, the images of Jackson beamed around the world were tabloid reports about his strange personal behavior, including allegations of child molestation, or the latest failed relaunch of his career.

A frail-looking Jackson had spent his last weeks in rehearsal for an ambitious comeback attempt and 50 already-sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena. A major motivation was the $300 million in debt run up by a star who lived like royalty even though his self-declared title of King of Pop was more about the past than the present.

"It's one of the greatest losses," said Tommy Mottola, former president of Sony Music, which released Jackson's music for 16 years. "In pop history, there's a triumvirate of pop icons: Sinatra, Elvis and Michael, that define the whole culture. . . . His music bridged races and ages and absolutely defined the video age. Nothing that came before him or that has come after him will ever be as big as he was."

Jackson "had it all. . . . talent, grace, professionalism and dedication," said Quincy Jones, Jackson's collaborator on his most important albums and the movie "The Wiz." "He was the consummate entertainer, and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

Jackson was born Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Ind. His mother, Katherine, would say that there was something special about the fifth of her nine children. "I don't believe in reincarnation," she said, "but you know how babies move uncoordinated? He never moved that way. When he danced, it was like he was an older person."

Katherine Jackson, who worked for Sears, Roebuck and Co., taught her children folk songs. Her husband, Joseph, a crane operator who once played with the R&B band the Falcons, played guitar and coached his sons. The boys were soon performing at local benefits. Michael took command of the group even as a chubby-cheeked kindergartner.

"He was so energetic that at 5 years old he was like a leader," brother Jackie once told Rolling Stone magazine. "We saw that. So we said, 'Hey, Michael, you be the lead guy.' The audience ate it up."

By 1968, the Jacksons had cut singles for a local Indiana label called Steeltown. At an engagement that year at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater, singer Gladys Knight and pianist Billy Taylor saw their act and recommended them to Motown founder Berry Gordy. So did Diana Ross after sharing a stage with the quintet at a "Soul Weekend" in Gary.

Ross said later that she saw herself in the talented and driven Michael. "He could be my son," she said. Another Motown legend, Smokey Robinson, would describe the young performer as "a strange and lovely child, an old soul in the body of a boy."

Motown moved the Jacksons to California, and in August 1968 they gave a breakthrough performance at a Beverly Hills club called The Daisy. Their first album, "Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5," was released in December 1969, and it yielded the No. 1 hit "I Want You Back," with 11-year-old Michael on the lead vocals. "ABC,"“I’ll Be There” and other hits followed, and the group soon had their own television series, a Saturday morning cartoon and an array of licensed merchandise aimed at youngsters.
There was a price: childhood.
"I never had the chance to do the fun things kids do," Jackson once explained. "There was no Christmas, no holiday celebrating. So now you try to compensate for some of that loss."
Joseph Jackson ruled the family, by most accounts, with his fists and a bellowing rage. In a 2003 documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir, Jackson said his father often brandished a belt during rehearsals and hit his sons or shoved them into walls if they made a misstep.
"We were terrified of him," Jackson said.
In the Bashir interviews, the singer said his father ridiculed him for his pug nose and adolescent acne. He also described, with obvious discomfort, having to listen to an older brother have sex with a woman in the hotel bedroom they shared.
Onstage, Jackson seemed to know no fear.
"When we sang, people would throw all this money on the floor, tons of dollars, 10s, 20s, lots of change," an adult Jackson once told Newsweek. "I remember my pockets being so full of money that I couldn't keep my pants up. I'd wear a real tight belt. And I'd buy candy like crazy."

michael jackson death photos

2009-07-04T02:30:00.000-07:00

michael jackson death photos

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Doctors conducted an autopsy on the body of Michael Jackson on Friday but could not immediately determine what killed the "King of Pop," amid reports he had been injected with a narcotic painkiller shortly before collapsing. Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at his rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, with his personal physician trying desperately to revive him.

Farrah Fawcett funeral set for Tuesday in L.A

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A private funeral for actress Farrah Fawcett will be held at the Catholic cathedral of Los Angeles next Tuesday, church officials said on Friday. The service for the former "Charlie's Angels" actress will take place at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at 4 p.m. PDT (1900 EDT).

Hello Goodbye: Jackson's Beatles rights at risk

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Beatles For Sale? The Fab Four's prized catalog -- specifically 267 songs mostly written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney -- is embarking on a long and winding road of ownership uncertainty following the death of Michael Jackson on Thursday.

Rapper Coolio pleads guilty to cocaine possession

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rap star Coolio pleaded guilty on Friday to possession of cocaine and will avoid jail by entering an 18-month drug rehabilitation program, a spokeswoman for prosecutors said. Coolio, who had hits in the mid-1990s with "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Fantastic Voyage," faced three years in prison if convicted of all the charges against him, said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the L.A. County District Attorney's Office.

Michael Jackson feared he'd "end up" like Elvis: Lisa Marie

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's former wife Lisa Marie Presley said on Friday the pop star was a tortured soul who once predicted that he would "end up" like her father, the late rock icon Elvis Presley. Writing on her MySpace blog, Presley also ripped into reports in the media that her relationship with Jackson was contrived, saying they split because she could not save him from self-destructive behavior.

Jackson leaves hefty debts, unrealized comeback

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Along with a vast musical legacy and legions of adoring fans, pop superstar Michael Jackson leaves behind a mountain of debt and an unfulfilled comeback many hoped would rake in millions and erase his financial troubles. The King of Pop died suddenly on Thursday at the age of 50, after a career spanning 40 years that included the biggest-selling pop album of all time, "Thriller."

"Transformers" in high gear already

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Debuting Wednesday to an estimated $60.6 million, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" already has begun its triumphal rounding of the box office bases that should see it set a record or two by weekend's end. Once Michael Bay's sequel to the 2007 hit based on the Hasbro toy line staked out the upcoming weekend, there was never any question that it would dominate overall sales. Competitors steered clear of the date, with only Warner Bros. fielding the feel-good weepie "My Sister's Keeper" in a modest bit of counterprogramming.

Studios wary of Oscar's new best-picture rule

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - If ever there were a time that the town needed a jolt of adrenaline, Wednesday was it -- but from, of all places, the staid, mostly predictable Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences? What everyone thought would be another sleepy announcement about an arcane rule change in the documentary or foreign language category turned into the headline of the day -- opening up the Oscar race to 10 best picture nominees.

NBC sets fall schedule dates

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC will launch the bulk of its fall schedule during the weeks of September 14 and September 21, the latter marking the official premiere week. A day after the September 13 kickoff of "Sunday Night Football," the network will roll out its most prominent new program, weeknight "The Jay Leno Show."

"Old Boy" proceeds despite legal scuffle

TOKYO/SEOUL (Hollywood Reporter) - Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are moving forward with plans for a remake of "Old Boy" despite a complex, behind-the-scenes rights wrangle involving the Japanese publishers of the original manga and the Korean producers of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 cult hit. Futabasha, publisher of the manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake.

michael jackson songs listen

2009-07-04T02:27:00.000-07:00

michael jackson songs listen

It seems implausible that an artist who sold more than 100m albums during his career could be broke, but Michael Jackson is said to have died owing anything up to $500m (£302m).

With the huge global success of Thriller and the follow up album Bad, Jackson became one of the most bankable stars of the 1980s, giving him the leverage to earn unusually large royalties from the sale of each disc.

He became known for increasingly lavish spending and bought the sprawling Neverland ranch in Santa Barbara for $14.6m in 1988, including a funfair and zoo. In one of his shrewdest business moves, at the peak of his fame in 1985, Jackson paid $47.5m for ATV Music, which owned the copyright to songs written by the Beatles' John Lennon and Paul McCartney, outbidding McCartney himself. Owning the songs earned him a steady stream of royalties every time one of the songs was either played on the radio or performed.

In 1991 he signed a $65m recording deal with Sony.

But the turning point appeared to come in 1993, when he faced a civil lawsuit brought by the parents of the 13-year-old boy Jordy Chandler. Jackson, who paid $22m to settle the case, became ever more reclusive and his financial situation apparently spiralled out of control. A recent press report suggested that Jackson may have burnt through $1bn in the past 20 years. No one knows for sure what he spent his fortune on but there was a clue in Martin Bashir's 2003 documentary, in which the singer splashed out $6m in a single store on a shopping trip.

The financial strain began to show in the mid-1990s when he agreed to merge ATV with Sony's library of songs.

But still his finances worsened. In recent years, he became mired in lawsuits filed by creditors, including the lawyers who had defended the singer in another child molestation trial in 2005. During that trial, which ended in an acquittal, details of Jackson's finances were trawled over. One accountant testified that he had an "ongoing cash crisis" and was spending $20m to $30m a year more than he earned. Prosecutors said he had a "billionaire spending habit for only a millionaire's spending budget".

Earlier this month, the organisers of a proposed Jackson 5 reunion concert filed a $40m claim against the singer. The New Jersey-based promoter AllGood Entertainment claimed breach of contract and fraud, demanding $20m in compensatory damages and another $20m in punitive damages, claiming that Jackson had promised not to perform solo ahead of a show scheduled for next year. Other suits in recent years were lodged by Union Finance & Investment Corporation, which sought $12m in unpaid fees, and a $7m claim from the sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the second son of the king of Bahrain who claimed he had given the singer millions of dollars to produce an album, a stage musical and write an autobiography, none of which appeared.

In 2001, Jackson had used his half of ATV to secure a $200m loan from Bank of America and in 2006 was forced to refinance the loan to stave off bankruptcy.

In March last year, Jackson faced foreclosure on Neverland although a real estate investment firm came to his aid, setting up a joint venture with him to take ownership of the ranch. In April he called a halt to a public auction of his belongings including jewel-encrusted concert tickets, stage-wear and music memorabilia.

Jackson was said to have still been making an annual income of $19m. But the singer had not released any new material since the album Invincible in 1991, which had not been a success, and had not performed live for over a decade and there were hopes that the comeback tour might solve his financial crisis for good. It was estimated that he could have made up to $500m if he had taken the show around the world.

Ultimately though he has left another financial mess at AEG, the owner of the O2 arena, formerly known as the Millennium Dome. According to Billboard magazine, more than $85m worth of tickets have been sold and AEG has already spent $30m on the production.

Reports are also suggesting that the firm was only insured for the first 10 nights of the residence, as insurers were wary of the singer being fit enough to play all 50 nights, leaving AEG with an potential insurance liability of up to £300m.

michael jackson dies

2009-07-04T02:23:00.000-07:00

michael jackson dies

We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. A cardiologist at UCLA tells TMZ Jackson died of cardiac arrest.

Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

A source inside the hospital told us there was "absolute chaos" after Jackson arrived. People who were with the singer were screaming, "You've got to save him! You've got to save him!"

We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.

La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.